When Diana opened her eyes to look at the Ministry of Magic, she could only imagine how Dorothy felt when she landed in Oz. As Bentley guided her through the long, grandiloquent hall, Diana tried to soak in all the details she could: the dark wood floors and walls, the blue ceiling with gold symbols that were in a constant state of movement, the intricately-decorated fireplaces that wizards and witches appear from every few seconds.
The wizards and witches were what Diana kept her eyes on, even as her and Bentley passed an impressive golden fountain. There were just so many of them. Diana knew, logically, that there needed to be a lot in order to maintain their own government. But to see the sheer amount, and to think of the collective power they all had, and the fact that they were living right under the noses of the average British citizen and no one knew about it was incredibly unsettling.
Something else that was unsettling was how normal they looked, aside from their apparel. They were chatting with colleagues, reading papers, and walking about from place to place. It was as though they had no idea of the power they possessed. She knew from her visits with the Hogwarts professors that not every witch or wizard was the cackling villain she imagined her father to be, but it felt odd to see them acting like…normal people. Especially considering the regularity of the crimes they committed against actual normal people–Muggles—on a daily basis.
As they went through security and approached the lifts, Diana noticed that although the vast majority of wizards were adults, there were a couple of children around her age or younger, dressed in black as if they were attending a funeral themselves. They were handing out flyers to people entering the lift, and while most wizards ignored or scowled at them, a few took the flyers out of politeness. When Diana and Bentley passed them, the children tilted their head and looked at her curiously, but Bentley put his hands on her shoulder and steered her into the lift. "Ignore them," he said simply.
Diana wanted to ask who they were, but her mouth felt dry from nerves. Soon she was going to meet the man in charge of the whole wizarding world, and then, her father. What was she going to say? What did she want to say?
Upon seeing her expression, Bentley gave her a little half-smile. "Don't worry, kid. Cornelius Fudge—that's the Minister—is a friendly, decent bloke. Mr. Weasley's going to be there with you too, so nothin' to worry about."
Weasley, Weasley….where did I hear that name? Then, it clicked: he was named in the black book that her mother wrote in. Diana's fingers twitched; she wanted to reach into the bag and pull it out so she could see what Sarah wrote and be better prepared, but knew that doing it while Bentley was there would be a terrible idea. She didn't want to give away her secret weapon.
And now I'm going to meet the Minister, too. Diana's hands started to feel clammy. Just like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, she was about to meet the man behind the curtain, the one responsible for orchestrating everything. But in that story, the person in charge was a regular man who creates impressive illusions to mask his lack of power, whereas in reality, the person in charge helps society maintain a facade of normalcy while tremendous power lurks below the surface.
The lift brought them to a wide hallway, where they exited and Bentley continued talking. "This is the floor where the higher-ups hold meetings and all that. It's right down this hall and then to the—"
He stopped suddenly. Diana followed his gaze to find a young woman with short, curly brown hair leaning up against a wall. When she saw Bentley, she gave a small smile, though her eyes were sharp. "Braden," she purred. "I was told you'd be here earlier."
Bentley looked like a deer in the headlights. "Phoebe, darling…I–I was, but I had something to do. An important job for, uh, Fudge."
Was this Bentley's girlfriend? If so, why was he acting so weird? Bentley glanced at Diana quickly and said to Phoebe, clearing his throat: "This is the Malfoy girl."
Diana bristled upon hearing that. No I'm not. Phoebe's eyes softened momentarily as she glanced at Diana, then grew hard again as they looked at Bentley. "How interesting. I thought I made it clear that I'm strongly against the Ministry's decision on this. You said you felt the same way. Or was that just another lie?"
"O-of course not! I'd never lie to you, sweetheart! But if the man in charge tells you to do something, you gotta do it, yeah? That's just part of my job."
"'You'd never lie to me,'" Phoebe echoed, a dark smirk gracing her lips. "Really? So last week you didn't catch Grace Zhao's Golden Snitch when the two of you went out to the Canary Islands, is that it?"
Bentley paled. Diana suddenly looked down at her shoes and felt very awkward and out-of-place. "Grace and I are just colleagues, babe, I swear it! The Canary Islands, that—that was just for work! There's nothing between us. Hell, I barely think twice about her."
"You're so full of shit, Braden Bentley!" a new voice snapped. There was what seemed like a slight shimmer in the air, and a woman with long, straight black hair and a furious expression suddenly appeared in the hallway, holding what looked like a silky, silver cloth. "You told me 'Phoebe Elwick and I are just friends.' Did you think that because Phoebe and I work in different departments, we wouldn't talk?"
Both Bentley and Diana looked horrified, but for different reasons. "Gracie, I didn't—-I mean, that wasn't–"
"Don't you 'Gracie' me," snapped Grace, as Phoebe nodded approvingly. "If Phoebe didn't lend me this invisibility cloak, you would have continued your lies like you always do."
They can be invisible too? thought Diana, aghast. It was unbelievable that people with so much power hadn't taken control of the entire world. Why did they insist on living separately from Muggles?
Bentley swallowed and glanced at Diana quickly. "W-well, now's really not the time to do this. It's pretty, um, unprofessional, and—and I need to be escorting this little lady to Arthur Weasley, so—"
"T-that's alright." Diana was surprised when she heard herself speaking out loud. "You said it was just down the hall. I can manage from here."
Bentley gave her a wounded expression, which she ignored. He didn't seem evil, but he also didn't seem to have the best judgment, and she wasn't inclined to help him after he was part of the group that brainwashed her grandma. His own actions put him in this predicament, anyway.
But there was also another, more significant reason she wanted to have at least a minute to herself.
"Are you sure?" Grace asked. "One of us could walk you down, honey." 'One of us' clearly meaning Grace or Phoebe.
"Y-yes, I'm sure," Diana said, faking a cheer that would hopefully mask her nerves.
"Okay, then," Phoebe said, giving Diana a wink. "Once you go down this hall, make a right. The room you need to go in is all the way at the very end. Mr. Weasley knows you're coming, so he might be waiting for you in the lobby. If not, you'll just have to wait a few minutes."
"Thank you," Diana said. As she was turning around, she saw Bentley looking like a man on his way to the guillotine, but continued to walk ahead with purpose as she left the man to his fate.
Immediately after turning the corner, Diana dove into the bag and groped around for what she was looking for: Sarah's black book. She quickly fumbled through the pages and got to the one she was looking for:
3 magic users who interviewed me:
Serious, important-looking, intense, irritable and grumpy (Name was Weesly? Maybe?). Can't remember hair color or length. Cold.
Shoulder-length light hair (blonde? brown?). Older. A total arse. Acted more casual and laid-back. Name was Alan Moody?
Red-haired man, middle-aged, acted friendly and kind, warm eyes. THIS IS A LIE. DO NOT TRUST. HE IS JUST LIKE THE REST.
Assuming Sarah's memory was correct, Diana had to prepare herself to meet someone who was cold and serious, which didn't seem to match up with Bentley's assurances that she would be fine. Then again, he was probably just saying that so I would relax. Or maybe Mum's memory was wrong…
She shoved the book back in the bag and slowly made her way down the hall to the room at the very end. Part of her considered making a dash for it, but where would she go? She wouldn't even know how to leave the floor. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open with sweaty palms.
The office lobby was empty except for three people. A tall blonde man gripping a walking stick was speaking forcefully with a middle-aged man behind the reception desk, who looked absolutely cowed as his trembling fingers raised a teacup to his mouth, eyes wide and glued on the man in front of him. The young woman next to him was frowning and searching through a messy pile of papers rapidly, eyes periodically darting towards the men. Diana stood awkwardly, hoping someone would notice her, to no success.
"—bowing to political pressure. It's a complete and utter invasion of privacy. When I speak to Cornelius about it, I'll–"
Irritable, intense, and important-looking? I'm pretty sure that's the right bloke. Alright, Diana, you can do this. You're stronger than you think.
"Um, excuse me," Diana mumbled softly. The blonde man turned to look at her with a scowl, and Diana's eyes quickly looked down, trying to avoid his sharp glare. "I was told that I was supposed to speak with Arthur Weasley." She managed to work up the courage to glance upward again. "Are you him?"
The man behind the desk choked a bit on his tea, which managed to spill across a few papers. The woman made a noble attempt to hide her giggles behind a sheet of paper, while the blonde man looked at Diana with utter contempt. Lip curling, he replied, "No, I'm not." He then turned to the man behind the desk and sneered, "The Temple of Aequitas…how revolting. It's said that the company we keep reflects our character. And surely, Arthur's willingness to consort with these fools is a testament to his complete and utter ineptitude. Yet despite all evidence to the contrary, he's still viewed by the general public as trustworthy and his goals are given a disproportionate amount of attention instead of the immediate dismissal they deserve. Why is that, I wonder?"
What the fuck?
The man behind the counter was trying frantically to wipe the tea stains off the papers and seemed to have no idea how to answer his question. It suddenly dawned on Diana that the blonde man probably thought that she was part of the group that Bentley told her to ignore, the children who looked like they were also about to attend a funeral. She swallowed and returned her gaze to the floor, feeling very self-conscious. In spite of this, she tried to speak up and say, "I, um, I'm a-actually not—"
The blonde man's piercing gaze was suddenly on her like a bird of prey and she froze up. "You can tell your abysmally neglectful parents that there will soon be legislation that prohibits your kind from scurrying about the Ministry floors like beggars. Perhaps when you see Arthur, you could bring that up to him as well. He seems to have a knack for sticking his nose where it's not needed and 'advocating' for the lowly."
He waved his hands in a dismissive gesture and then returned his attention to the man behind the desk, where they continued their previous discussion about some kind of bill. The woman looked at Diana kindly. "Mr. Weasley will be here shortly. He has a bit of a busy schedule today, but I'm sure he'll spare you a few minutes."
"Okay…" Diana muttered. 'I'm Diana!' was on the tip of her tongue, but her innate anxiety compounded with the stress of this morning's events and the unfamiliar, intimidating circumstances she was in wouldn't let her verbalize the thought.
Diana waited uncomfortably for another minute and considered slinking out of the room and then possibly making a dash for it, but her musing were interrupted when the door next to the desk opened and a shabbily dressed redheaded man with an unexpectedly warm expression stumbled out. He saw Diana and seemed taken aback for a second before quickly waving her over. She couldn't hurry out of that room fast enough.
"Nice to meet you, Diana! I'm Arthur Weasley." At her name, she heard the blonde man instantly stop talking and felt his sharp gaze upon her. She was grateful when Arthur quickly shut the door.
This was Arthur Weasley? Mum definitely got her names mixed up. This man looks friendly and kind and—oh no. Diana shivered, remembering Sarah's comments in the black book about a redhaired man.
Arthur held out his hand. Diana hesitated for a moment, then decided to shake it. She wasn't going to trust him, but it wouldn't be wise to act combative towards a man who had the power to recreate her mind at a whim. "Uh, hi. I-I was told that I needed to speak to you."
"Yes, of course. Please, take a seat," Arthur gestured toward the table, smiling. Diana sat, and he plopped himself down next to her. Diana started fiddling with the edge of her dress, nervous. She was alone with this strange man who—according to her mum—couldn't be trusted. Being around men in general caused her to feel tense, but being with a wizard alone in a closed room made those feelings go into overdrive.
Arthur studied her for a moment, sympathetic. "Diana, do you know why you were asked to speak with me first?"
"Not really," she muttered.
He was quiet for a moment. "In our world–and by 'our,' I mean the world of wizards– there are people who want to help Muggles, people who see their ingenuity and know they're good people who deserve protection. I'm head of a department called the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office. It's my job to–" he stopped suddenly. "Er, do you know what I'm talking about when I use the word 'Muggle'?"
"Yeah," she replied glumly, still staring downward. "It's a regular human. Someone who can't use spells."
Arthur nodded. "Right. So as I was saying, in my department, my job is to make sure Muggles are safe by protecting them from cursed or enchanted objects." He hesitated again; this conversation didn't seem easy for either of them. "I know your experiences with wizards have not been good, and you have plenty of reasons to hate our kind. But Diana, I just want you to know that you have support here. Not just me, but many others as well. And we're going to do whatever I can to ensure your safety and well-being."
Diana barely restrained herself from rolling her eyes; Flitwick and McGonagall had the same spiel. Platitudes like this were meaningless if they weren't backed up with action, and nothing done so far had led Diana to believe that any wizard would lift a finger to genuinely help her. She was going to be on her own. "Sure."
He continued to study her as she picked at the hem of her dress. "I knew your mum, you know," Arthur continued carefully. Diana's fingers stopped moving. "I-I was here on the day that she was questioned. Back when we were trying to get testimony to, er–" his face grew a bit red as he trailed off.
"To find out who raped my mum," Diana replied flatly. Arthur now looked extremely uncomfortable.
"R-right."
"And now you're going to send me to live with him, the bloke who ruined her life." Diana's voice wobbled a bit as grief and reality hit her in another wave. Arthur looked alarmed.
"No! God, no. I-I mean, the Ministry wants—there is legal precedent, but–well, I don't want that to happen. I think it's cruel and archaic. But, that's a decision out of my hands." He said it with so much emotion that Diana, in spite of herself, started to wonder if her mother was wrong about him. "I swore I'd do whatever I can to keep you safe. I might not be able to change the court's decision, but I can at least try to mitigate it somewhat."
"How?" Diana asked. Then, a thought hit her. "If you want to help me, can you undo a memory spell? They messed with my grandmother's mind and now she doesn't know who I am."
Arthur hesitated. "I'm sorry, Diana. I truly am. But unfortunately, I'm not able to do that."
Sadness morphed into anger as Diana looked away, clenching her fists. He really was all talk. Suddenly, she felt an urge that was uncomfortable and uncharacteristic, yet extremely powerful. "I'm not surprised, based on what she said about you."
Arthur looked startled. "She-she mentioned me? I heard that the charm started failing years later, but–"
Part of Diana wanted her to stop. She knew, objectively, that the man in front of her wasn't the sole reason why everything bad was happening in her life, but right now, he was the face of all her problems, and she could not stand another minute of wizards pretending to care and offer fake sympathy. "Well, she didn't say it, but she wrote down a bunch of memories in a notebook, to remind herself that she wasn't actually going crazy after you people brainwashed her."
"Really?" Arthur's eyes lit up for a second. "That was very clever of Sarah. Muggle ingenuity never ceases to amaze me!" Diana's anger reached its boiling point. "What did she say?"
"She said all your friendliness and warmth was just a lie. She said you were just as bad as the rest, and shouldn't be trusted." Arthur looked like he'd just been slapped, and that reaction galvanized Diana even more as she continued, voice growing more emotional. She wanted this man to hurt, and this was the only way she knew how. "You ruined her life. You ruined my life." Her eyes began to mist over with tears. "I grew up with a mum that had trouble remembering what day of the week it was and couldn't hold down a job. There were times when she forgot to even feed me. Invading her mind like that was like raping her twice. And you were involved in that."
Tears started trickling down her cheeks against her wishes. Arthur turned white, eyes wide, and opened his mouth to say something, but closed it before looking away. That was the reaction Diana was aiming for, but it didn't bring her the comfort or satisfaction she thought it would. Instead, she just felt tired.
A heavy silence that descended on the room. Diana's gaze remained fixated on a small crack in the wooden table while she wiped her tears. At a certain point the awkwardness became too stifling, and the sensible part of Diana's mind told her that it would be advantageous to try to fish for as much information now than to be blindsided later. Before she could open her mouth, she heard a weak and feeble voice ask, "Was it really that bad with Sarah?"
She looked up and was shaken–but not fully surprised–to see Arthur regarding her with shining eyes that were blinking rapidly. His expression looked defeated and exhausted, a far cry from the energetic man who welcomed her into the office. It made Diana feel guilty, but couldn't muster up the courage to apologize, nor was she sure she even wanted to. "It wasn't bad all the time, but a lot of times, yeah, it was. I love her, but it's…complicated. Once the spell started breaking down, my childhood stopped."
Sighing, Arthur leaned back in his chair and ran his fingers through his sloppy hair. "A man named Burgess Borthwick"—there's that name again—"procured a report from the Muggle courts indicating that there were some kind of problems at home. It became a heated topic during discussions within the Ministry this past week, and was unfortunately used as another reason why you should be removed from her care."
"That's disgusting," Diana whispered, clenching her fists. "She wouldn't have been like that if she wasn't for—for—"
"—for me," Arthur finished quietly. "For me, and for Lucius, and for Alastor Moody and Barty Crouch and for the laws fundamental to the workings of our society. I know I share responsibility for this, Diana, and there's no way to go back and change that. While I know it may not mean much, I'm truly sorry, and I promise that I will do whatever I can in order to help you now."
There was a moment of silence. Sarah's warning was blazed into her mind, but the man in front of her seemed so earnest and part of Diana recognized that Arthur was simply a cog in an infernal machine, and the issues she mentioned went far beyond him. It would be dumb to trust him fully, but it would be dumber to cut off someone who was presenting themself as an ally, especially when she currently had none in the government.
She mumbled, "So, um, you…you said that the wizard court already decided that I have to stay there, but said that there was something you could do to make it better. So if you're not going to bring my grandma back, then what do you mean?"
"R-right," he stammered, taken aback by the change of topic. "Well, in order to explain, I suppose it's n-necessary to provide a bit of context. You see, Diana, in our world, it's unfortunately not uncommon for wizards to have relations with muggle women. Sometimes it's out of genuine love, but other times it's…not." He winced. "And those who misuse their power are breaking the law, of course, but just as with the Muggle world, laws unfortunately don't always act as a deterrent, especially among those with positions of power or connections. "
This was true. How many times had she seen reports on the television or newspaper that talked about someone in a position of power getting caught committing some crime, sexual or otheriwse? Politicians? Police officers? Church officials? Teachers? Camp counselors? Even parents and other relatives? How many times had she seen a story that contained some variation of 'He was such a pillar of the community, I never would have thought he could do something like that!'? In Diana's eleven years, it was becoming apparent that those with power tended to abuse it. "And when a Muggle woman gets pregnant with a magical child, the child is stolen from them and given to the father?"
Arthur hesitated before responding. "Sometimes. Statistically speaking, it's more likely that most magical children in these situations grow up believing themselves to be the children of two Muggles and stay with their mother. The only time a child is removed is if there's proof of lineage. Usually the only ones who are able to afford a Blood Tracing—that's typically the ritual that reveals it—are the wealthy families, which is what happened in your case. And because the child typically isn't—erm—expected or wanted, this sometimes leads to the family treating them in a way that causes the child harm."
Diana's heart sank. "Like what?"
"I don't feel like we need to go into great detail about it," Arthur said quickly. "And most families do accept their illegitimate child. But the important thing is that we're making sure that precautions are taken so your safety is a priority. You see, in the Muggle world—well, you probably know this already—but there are these government officials who are actually allowed to enter a man's home and check on the wellness of their child. Now, while we do have laws against specific illegal actions, we don't have that type of system here. However, due to the combined efforts of my department and the advocacy of the Association for Muggleborn and Muggle Rights, children in your situation will be receiving regular visits from a Ministry representative in order to check in on their condition. That way, the parent won't want to, say, transfigure their halfblood child into a rat and drown them if they know they'll be inspected"—upon seeing the look of horror on Diana's face, he rushed to add—"N-not that I think you'd need to worry about that, but anyway…it's the first law that's specifically meant to protect children. Granted, the specifications in the final bill by the time it passed ended up looking a lot less…involved than what was initially drafted, but some progress is still better than no progress."
He looked so proud that Diana tried not to let her inner feelings show on her face. Shit. As the daughter of "crazy Sarah White," Diana had her fair share of run-ins with child services, and didn't have a desire for history to repeat itself. "Is it going to be the same person, or different people?"
"The same. Since this is such a new idea, there isn't a department set up or anything, so it would need to fall under the purview of an already-existing one for now. There was debate on which department should be the one to enforce it, but none of the others wanted to take it on for some reason. So, the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts department volunteered! Granted, there are only two people in the office, myself and my assistant, a wonderful bloke by the name of
Perkins. And given my history with your mother, I thought, well… " He suddenly looked a bit nervous. "B-but of course, given the circumstances, I could understand if you'd rather see Perkins instead. He really is a nice gentleman."
"No, that's ok. I'd rather see a familiar face." This was true, and she was starting to grow slightly fond of Mr. Weasley and his earnestness against her better judgment. But there was also pragmatism involved. She didn't want to lose contact with the one person who seemed to be her ally.
Arthur looked relieved. "Great! It works out perfectly, since I'm not sure if we'd have enough money in the department to pay him for the extra duties. But your safety is all the payment I need."
So, they gave him no funding. Awesome. Already, this is off to a great start. "Isn't the Association for Muggleborn…something part of the government?"
"No, they're an advocacy group that I work closely with, though we admittedly don't always see eye-to-eye." Diana was curious about those discrepancies, but didn't want to ask yet. "But I support their goals overall, and their efforts clearly have paid off here. It's been a while since we had a child of a Muggle assault case that was this highly publicized, so they've been making a lot of noise, trying to highlight the injustice-–how the case against Malfoy was handled years ago, how you have to live with him now, all of it. The Association wants significant change, which always unsettles the Ministry. No doubt they're going to try to talk to you at some point, which is why Fudge wants us to have this meeting. Since I'm going to be managing your case, he wanted me to introduce myself to you first. He's going to be coming in, him and Lucius." The room suddenly felt much colder. "This case is attracting a lot of negative attention and Fudge wants to try to smooth this over as soon as possible. He wants it to seem like you're happy and looking forward to going to Hogwarts and being with your family."
"But I'm not. I don't want to live with Mum's rapist and pretend like everything's normal, and I don't want to go to witch school either! Until this conversation with you, everything's been like something out of a horror movie. Nothing I say matters." A sudden thought came to Diana. "What happens if I just…refuse to go? I know Muggles get their memories erased, but what about the children–the other ones taken from their parents, like me—who don't want to go? They can't have their memories erased, right? Or"—Diana's mind started to race— "what about the ones with two Muggle parents? The Muggleborns. I–I bet a lot of Muggles would be like my grandma and not want their child to go to a magical boarding school."
Arthur's eyebrows furrowed. "In the case of two Muggles who have a magical child, their memories normally aren't erased. Instead, they're given a bit of a…a nudge, I guess you can call it."
"A nudge?"
"Yes. Er, in their mind." Arthur looked a bit embarrassed. "It's not my department, so I'm not sure the specifics, but with the right spell, it's possible to adjust one's mentality or attitude and make them more receptive to attending. It—it's not used often, but—"
"So it's brainwashing," Diana said tersely. She could see Arthur start to interrupt, so she continued. "It is brainwashing. You call it a 'nudge,' but if someone's personality or views are forced to change because of some outside force, then they're no longer themselves. If the children see their parents being brainwashed, I doubt they'd want to go quietly. And they're given the same 'nudge,' too, right?"
Arthur looked drained and much older than he was. "Yes, that's the way it is. I'm sorry, Diana."
"So I really don't have a choice then," Diana muttered numbly. "It's go with…him, or get my mind messed with."
"I'm sorry." It seemed like he really was.
"I wish I didn't have to see him," Diana admitted quietly. "What exactly am I supposed to even say? I don't like him for what he did to my mom, and I'm sure he doesn't like me for existing and causing all this drama."
Arthur paused for a moment, considering what to say. "I really wish I could offer you advice, but I can't. It's a terrible situation. The only thing that might make you feel a bit better is that you've already seen him once, so at least that surprise is over with."
"Er, no. I've never met him before."
Arthur looked surprised. "Really? I thought–well, he was in the lobby. I thought the two of you already spoke while you were waiting for me." Seeing Diana's eyes widen, he let out a nervous chuckle. "I, uh, I guess I was wrong."
"Ughh," Diana put her head in her hands, wanting–not for the first time today–to crawl into a hole and stay there forever. "Yes, I saw him. I thought he was you at first and asked him."
"Ha! Wow. I'm sure he loved that."
"He was such a jerk to the people at the desk…"
"Listen, Diana," Arthur said as he leaned over. "You're a good person. Lucius Malfoy might be your father, but Sarah White was your mother. And you can choose what you want your life to be like."
"No, I really can't." Diana felt the frustration surge in her again. "You don't understand—it's always been like this. It's like—it's like—" A thought occurred to her. "Do you know who Sisyphus is?"
Arthur blinked in surprise. "Of course, though I admit I'm surprised someone raised by Muggles would know about the old stories." That was an interesting tidbit of information, and Diana filed it away for future reference.
"Well, you know how he was forced to push a boulder up a hill and every time he would get to the top, it would always roll down? And then he kept doing that again and again? That's like me. I wanted so badly to prove that I could make some kind of positive impact on the world, that I was more than just my parents, and I always tried my hardest, but then something would happen and it would come crashing down and I'd feel stupid for even trying. But then a few days later I'd just do the same thing again and then end up feeling miserable again when it fails. You can't just…escape from reality or fate or whatever this is."
"You can have a good impact on the world, Diana, I know things haven't been–"
"No. The past few days just proved that all my hopes and goals were pointless. No matter what I want, I'm stuck here, going to Warthog's and being bound forever to a person I hate, because of something that happened before I was even born."
"Diana, I–"
"Can't I stay with you instead?" she blurted out. "I don't want to live with him. Please."
She knew that it was extremely presumptuous and rude to ask, but she was desperate. Seeing Arthur's startled and hesitant expression, she already knew what the answer would be and wanted to crawl back into that imaginary hole and die of embarrassment.
"I wish you could," he said softly. The emotion in his voice made her believe him. "But the Ministry is very insistent on you living with the Malfoys specifically. Believe me, I checked to see if any kind of alternate living arrangements would have been possible." While he was talking, Diana noticed him fiddling with a ring on his finger. Oh. He's married. For some reason, that thought never crossed her mind.
"I have children of my own, " he continued, "One of them is a boy your age. He might–"
Arthur abruptly stopped talking. Outside beyond the closed door there were some faint, muffled sounds in the distance that appeared to be slowly growing louder. Diana strained to make out what they were saying.
"—obviously politically motivated and should be dismissed on that basis alone. He's been searching for an opportunity like this for years–"
"—yes, yes, I agree, but the Association's been raising up a storm, and these things must be considered for the sake of propriety—"
Fuuuck.
"That's them," Arthur whispered unnecessarily. Diana swallowed and tried fruitlessly to smooth out her dress hair. Shit, my hair. It hadn't been combed since this morning and probably looked terrible. She quickly ran her fingers through it and readjusted her headband, heart beating rapidly. If this was the Prime Minister of Wizarding Britain, she needed to make a good impression and get on his good side. She considered asking Arthur if she looked okay, but based on his outfit—especially when compared to her father's—she wasn't sure if he would be the best judge.
"—simply a means to placate the more vocal–ah, I believe this is the room, Lucius."
And with that, the door opened.
Diana's eyes instinctively darted away from her father and towards the other man who walked in, the Minister of Magic himself. The Minister was a short, portly man with gray hair and a green bowler hat with a pinstriped cloak. He was wearing the well-practiced smile of a man who's been in politics for many years. "So, this must be the famous Diana!" he laughed heartily, reaching over to clasp her hands in a handshake. Diana, taken by surprise, felt rigid and tense. "My, what an adorable child you have, Lucius. She looks just like a little porcelain doll."
"Indeed. Her looks will allow her to fit right in with the rest of the family."
She finally allowed herself to glance at Lucius. Unlike earlier, the man was smiling, but the smile did not quite reach his eyes. There was a cold, calculating glint that wasn't outright malicious—as it was when they spoke earlier—but did nothing to alleviate her concerns. He nodded politely in greeting. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Diana."
Trust me, the feeling's not mutual. And in truth, she didn't think he was being honest when he said that, either.
Diana was relieved that Lucius made no attempts to make any kind of physical contact with her as he and Fudge took their seats. There was a moment's pause, and Diana realized they were both looking at her—Fudge still smiling, but Lucius's lips becoming a bit thinner—and it dawned on her that they were expecting her to say something. "Um, h-hi."
"So," beamed Fudge, leaning back in his chair. "Lucius tells me there was a bit of a mix-up earlier today. Completely understandable. As it happens, the type of funeral apparel is characteristic of a certain group that tends to drift in and out of the Ministry on occasion. I'll admit it's a bit of a curious choice. Is this the new Muggle fashion?"
Was this meant to be a joke? Trying to quell her boiling resentment, she said in a tone as even as possible: "Well, my mum died this week and I was about to attend her funeral when the Ministry workers grabbed me and brought me here. I didn't get a chance to change since I was busy gathering the last of my precious belongings to put in this bag." She held the bag up for emphasis.
The three men stared at her blankly for a few seconds, and Diana started to get a prickly feeling. Arthur then looked aghast, and it suddenly dawned on her that she never told Arthur about Sarah's death. She assumed he would know, but if the Ministry workers who came to her house earlier were surprised, then he probably would be too, which means that Fudge and Lucius likely didn't know before today either. She thought Stebbins and Lucinda would send some kind of report, but clearly they didn't get around to it yet. Maybe the Scrub is taking longer than expected…
In Lucius's eye, Diana saw a brief flicker of relief along with another, unidentifiable emotion. His face was soon smoothed back into a neutral expression, but Diana noticed his jaw clench slightly as his eyes drifted towards Fudge and Arthur. Diana followed his gaze and saw that Fudge was looking at Lucius with a slight frown, while Arthur's fists were clenched and he was shooting Lucius an accusatory glare. Diana suddenly saw an angle of how to approach this.
"W-well, that's quite unfortunate," Fudge coughed. "Natural causes, I assume."
"Maybe, maybe not," Diana said. She wasn't sure if she was being irresponsible, but dammit, she wasn't going to make today easy for her father if she had a say in it. "There was poison in her body, but there are different theories about why so much of it was in there. We don't know for sure."
That technically wasn't a lie. Lucius scowled at Arthur, who was glaring back at him. "Cornelius," Lucius drawled. "I believe Arthur has an unfounded accusation he's bursting to share."
"I'm not accusing anyone," Arthur said through gritted teeth, "I just think it's curious how people tend to die or disappear whenever their existence inconveniences the Malfoys."
"And yet, you're still around," Lucius said, curling his lips in disdain. "Does that not contradict your little hypothesis?"
Arthur ignored him and looked at the Minister imploringly. "Cornelius, this changes things. Perhaps we should—"
"This changes nothing," Lucius interrupted, eyes narrowing. "This insinuation is entirely baseless. There's no evidence I had anything to do with this poor woman's unfortunate death."
Fudge frowned and leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers together beneath his chin, deep in thought. Diana felt her fingers curl upon hearing him refer to her mother as 'this poor woman.' How dare he pretend to have sympathy? Diana tried not to let her anger show on her face as she spoke up in a soft voice. She tried to look as innocent as possible, like the little, delicate porcelain doll Fudge believed she was. "Mr. Fudge, I'm a bit frightened. What if my mother's death wasn't an accident?" Diana willed tears to well up in her eyes, which wasn't that difficult considering everything that happened recently. "What if someone forced her to take the poison, and what if that person follows me to this world? What if"—Diana racked her brain trying to remember the name Lucinda mentioned—"what if….Rita ends up needing to write a whole big article about how I died in the newspaper? I don't want that to happen to me."
At this, Fudge paled slightly and Lucius shot her a very brief yet venomous glare. "N-now now, there's no cause for alarm," Fudge said quickly. "That won't be happening. Proper precautions are being taken to ensure your transition into the wizarding world goes off without a hitch. And Malfoy Manor is heavily fortified and well-protected—isn't that right, Lucius?"
Lucius nodded slowly, eyes hard. Diana's unspoken insinuation was thick in the air, but clearly Fudge didn't want to address it directly. Diana decided that she'd force him to. "Well, what if—and I'm not saying I believe this, but—what if people think the reason I die is because of my f-father has something to do with my death since he, erm," Fuck it, I'll just be blunt. "has a history of harming women."
Fudge blinked a few times, while Lucius's expression was unreadable. "Why, I think I see what the problem is!" Fudge said, smiling. "Oh, my poor dear. I thought Arthur would have told you. Arthur, you should have told her!" He chuckled. "You see, child, your father was cleared of all charges."
The professors at Hogwarts said something about this, that he wasn't convicted for the crime. Diana didn't give it much thought at the time and assumed it was simply a case thrown out due to lack of evidence. But how could they truly say he was '"cleared" now when she was sitting in front of them?
Diana looked at Arthur in confusion, whose lips tightened into a thin line as his gaze drifted down to the table. Her father maintained that same carefully-constructed, impassive expression. "That's a bit…unexpected to hear, Mr. Fudge, considering"—Considering I'm right in front of you, you idiot.—"that I'm, um, here. Isn't my existence proof that a crime happened?"
"Oh, please don't misunderstand, Miss Malfoy." Diana died a bit on the inside as she heard that term of address. It must have shown on her face because Fudge then said, "Yes, I suppose the name will take some getting used to, won't it? But as I was saying, your father was cleared by the Wizengamot, the highest court in wizarding Britain. I can assure you all the evidence was parsed through carefully, and it was determined that all that unpleasantness with your mother–" Diana's fists clenched from underneath the table and Arthur winced at Fudge's wording–"among other dreadful allegations were the result of the acting under the Imperius Curse." At Diana's blank expression, he added, "That's a curse that causes the subject to be under the caster's complete control—truly dark and forbidden magic, that. Completely illegal."
Wait, what? If Lucius Malfoy was being controlled, then that changes everything. Diana tried to reign in a flitter of hope that threatened to emerge. Lucius being controlled would match up with her mother's account, and would also allow for Diana to have a regular father. He might be a jerk, but being a jerk didn't automatically make him a rapist. But was it actually true, or was it bullshit? Arthur kept staring at the table, and Lucius's expression was composed. "So…is the person who cast it in jail? Is there such a thing as jail for wizards?"
Fudge chuckled again. "There most certainly is! Azkaban, with not a single escapee in its entire history! Quite the deterrent for law-breakers." His expression shifted slightly into something more serious. "As for the person who cast it, well, we haven't been able to pin it on a specific wizard, but I can say with utmost certainty that it was a Death Eater. Possibly even You-Know-Who himself! There would be no way of knowing that now, of course, since all that nastiness has been done with for some time."
Death Eaters. They were the group of dark wizards who kept her mother in that mansion by the sea and made her life a living hell. "I know a little about the Death Eaters, but I don't know about the other person you're talking about…sorry. I've only been here for a day and found out that magic was real a week ago."
"Of course, of course. The Death Eaters had a leader you see, and, well, we don't like to speak his name. Brings up bad memories and all, you know how that is."
This all seemed too good to be true. And if it seemed too good in Diana's life, it probably was. "How did you know he was being controlled? What proof was there?"
Arthur looked at Fudge, who shifted a bit in his seat. So that's it. Mr. Weasley doesn't believe that Mr. Malfoy–she couldn't bring herself to actually think of him as her father– was under control.
Fudge said, with a smile that seemed slightly more strained than before, "Court officials looked over the evidence and came to that conclusion. It was many, many years ago, my dear, and I admit the details are foggy. But only the best and brightest sit in our courts, and I have the utmost faith in them, as should you! Besides, your father testified that he was acting under the Imperius."
He gestured to Lucius, as if expecting him to start chiming in. He did not. If there was a smoking gun (or wand, or whatever the wizarding equivalent was) in the court case, then Fudge would have likely remembered, especially if they're as chummy as they seemed, and if the case was really as well-publicized as Arthur made it out to be.
She knew she shouldn't ask this question, but she couldn't help it: "How did you know he wasn't lying?"
Fudge looked startled. "I-I'm sorry?"
"How do you know he, erm, told the full truth?" she repeated, becoming very aware of Lucius's cold gaze now resting upon her. "Is there some kind of truth spell that was used in the trial?"
"There is Veritaserum," Arthur finally spoke up. "It's not a spell, but it's a potion that causes the person who drinks it to tell the truth. The Ministry chose not to use it during Malfoy's trial."
Fudge's expression clouded over and glared at Arthur. "The Ministry made that decision because Veritaserum reveals what a person believes to be true. If Lucius was under the Imperius, then he could have been compelled to believe he was acting of his free will, and say as much. And there's certainly been cases where the serum proves to be unreliable."
"If there was a person who put him under the mind-control curse, then wouldn't he be able to say who they were?" Even though she was talking about Lucius specifically, she didn't meet his gaze, nor did he participate in the conversation.
Instead Fudge said, "Not if they wear masks, which the Death Eaters did. They wore these skull-shaped things. Hideous, really."
"I don't get why someone would want to do something like that…control someone else to harm another person, I mean. Wouldn't they just–" she tried to search for a way to complete her thought without it sounding really awkward "–do it themselves?"
Fudge sighed. "Miss Malfoy, you're still very young and innocent. The world of adults can be a perverse one, often guided by base emotion rather than logic. It's best not to think too much of it. Why did the Death Eaters do anything they did? What makes a man decide to throw away his future for some revolutionary cause? If one must get their jollies from harming others, well, why go after Muggles specifically when there are so many other races that could easily be harmed with fewer repercussions? There was little rhyme or reason where the Death Eaters were concerned. If I was a betting man, I'd say whoever cast the curse thought it amusing to have an upstanding wizard as Mr. Malfoy commit acts of evil. They frequently did it to Aurors and other government officials. Forgive me if I'm bringing up bad memories, Arthur, but didn't one of your brothers, er, harm his wife while under the influence of the Imperius?"
Arthur gritted his teeth. "Yes, he did."
Fudge's eyes flashed in triumph. "So you see, it was unfortunately commonplace. Nothing unusual about that."
"If the trial's public record, is there… is there any way I could get a copy of the court case? I know you said that you forgot about the details and it would make me feel a lot better if I could see it and—"
"My dear girl," smiled Fudge, but the warmth faded from his eyes. "You're only eleven! The language would be far too complex for a child to understand. You should take comfort that your father is a good man who was forced into difficult circumstances."
"I just don't think my mum thought he was brainwashed," mumbled Diana, only realizing she said it out loud when she saw all three men's eyes locked on her.
"Yes, well," Fudge gestured lazily, "It would be surprising if a Muggle would be able to pick up on the tell-tale signs of the Imperius. And what's more, I'm sure it was a very troubling time for her. Very emotional. Sometimes our emotions can play with our perception. Why, just last week I received some concerning news regarding Gringotts, and—-well, it's a long story, but suffice it to say, I thought I kept seeing a goblin follow me from the corner of my eye, when it was really my house-elf."
"Diana," Arthur said kindly. "Just so you know, there are a lot of people out there in our world who have the same concerns you do."
"Concerns which are ultimately unfounded, Arthur. Lucius has proven time and time again to be a pillar of our community and—"
"I believe," Lucius's voice cut in silkily, "that this line of discussion will unfortunately lead to nowhere productive, Cornelius. Arthur has made it very clear for years now that he disagreed with the Wizengamot's judgment. If he's not willing to concede that the minds in the highest court in wizarding Britain have more wisdom on this subject matter than he has, then I feel your hopes in getting him to change his mind now are–forgive me–erroneous. He's also apparently using his newfound position in order to turn my daughter against me, something I expressed concerns about earlier."
"He didn't–" Diana mustered her courage and attempted to step in, but Lucius ignored her and kept going.
"—The fact of the matter is, regardless of the personal views of those currently present, I have been legally cleared of all wrongdoing, and I will be adopting her into my household, as is her birthright. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss how best to deal with the usual instigators who will be approaching her with ulterior motives, as well as provide a basic overview of the expectations surrounding Arthur's involvement in my personal family life."
"Yes, yes, of course," Fudge rushed to agree. "Miss Malfoy, this relates to the concern you brought up earlier, which leads us to Arthur,"— he gestured to the redhead—"He'll be checking in with you each month, making sure everything's running smoothly. Did he tell you about this already?"
"A little," mumbled Diana. "But I'm still a bit unsure about what he's supposed to be looking for, exactly. I know you mentioned 'mistreatment' but I don't really get what that means."
Fudge shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "W-well, you see, it's not really the Ministry's place to tell a man how to run his own home. The courts were quite firm on that…it's why we had to do quite a few revisions to the bill, had to make the wording all nice and proper. We don't want to step on anyone's toes, especially if a similar…situation to yours arises. Mainly, Arthur here is going to be seeing if any of our laws are being broken. We have laws against murder, of course, maiming, behavior deemed excessively cruel and inhumane—like what happened to Nancy Carrow, the poor sweet girl—other crimes of, er, a more intimate nature."
Just say rape, you coward. "What if I'm put under the mind control spell and act like I'm fine when I'm really not?"
Fudge's mouth tightened. "As stated previously, those spells are illegal and You-Know-Who has been gone for over a decade now. There's nothing to fret about." Diana said nothing, so Fudge continued. "If you're concerned about anything else, well—you seem like a generally sweet and well-behaved child. I'm sure you won't give a reason for Lucius to be too harsh, right Lucius?"
If Fudge was expecting some heartwarming reassurances or show of affection to Diana from Lucius, he was sorely mistaken. Lucius surveyed her with his sharp, cold eyes and simply said, "Hopefully not, though I will expect the same level of respect and obedience from her as I do from my son."
I have a brother? Diana pushed the thought away and said as evenly as she could, "There's no need to worry, Mr. Fudge. I'll give my father the level of respect he deserves."
Lucius's eyes narrowed a fraction. Fudge either didn't pick up on the subtle insult or chose to ignore it. "Excellent. So, as I was saying, Arthur will be meeting with you and checking in. He will ensure that your well-being is intact and answer questions or concerns you may have that—"
"And—-just for the sake of clarity, since Arthur seems to have gotten the wrong impression earlier this week—Arthur Weasley will not be entering my home, correct?" Lucius interjected.
"Yes, that's correct, Lucius." Fudge held up a hand to stop Arthur, whose mouth opened in protest. "No, Arthur, Lucius brought up some reasonable concerns to the council. While we want to provide the young lady with the best transition possible, this isn't meant to be an invasion of privacy and we certainly don't want to set a bad precedent. These chats can be done in a public, or otherwise agreed-upon, location."
"If I do have …concerns, will Mr. Weasley bring them up to you, or the Association?"
Seeing the expressions of Fudge and Lucius reinforced her belief that she made the right gamble by mentioning them. Diana knew very little about the 'Association,' but knew enough that they were thorns in Lucius and Fudge's side. If there's a way to use that to my advantage…
"He'll be relaying concerns to me," Fudge said firmly, looking at Arthur with a pointed expression. "The Association for Muggleborn and Muggle Rights is not part of the government, Miss Malfoy. They do what's in their power to help Muggles and Muggleborns, but they don't control the legislature or have nearly the amount of power they like to imagine they have."
And yet they're bothering you enough that you're having this meeting with me. "Since they're not involved in the government, do you think they'd have enough time to help find the person who might have poisoned my mum?" Diana asked innocently. "Maybe they could help us. I wonder if they even know she died…"
Fudge gave another strained smile and stood up. "M-miss Malfoy, I understand the change can be a bit….daunting, at times, but I have something that I believe might make you feel a bit more comfortable. Gentlemen, I'm going to take my leave for a few moments, but when I return, we'll talk much more about the Association and how to, erm, address them and their…concerns. I'll leave the three of you here to chat in the meantime."
And with that, Fudge vanished into thin air with a soft popping sound, leaving Arthur, Lucius, and Diana alone in the room.
