Who: Ivonna Montgomery & NPCs When: Monday, February 19th, 2004 Where: Diagon Alley What: Ivy at Work, solving shit and kicking ass. Status: Completed
Ivy had spent the previous night drinking with Fred and George which had been utter torture. She and Fred had agreed to give their relationship another chance a week ago and since then they hadn't actually gotten the chance to be with each other. Ivy didn't blame George, but it was fucking annoying. Every day longer she had to wait to be with Fred was hell so when the Minister had reached out and asked her to look into the problems couples were facing, Ivy jumped at the chance. If she could get George out of Fred's place she'd be able to get back into Fred's bed where she belonged.
Plus, love and all that shit too.
George had insisted that his sudden feelings of hatred for his wife came about suddenly. On Valentine's Day, which is the same day they'd hit the Minister and his wife apparently. Weasley and his wife were at odds too, which seemed out of character for them both. After leaving Fred's place with a quick frustrated kiss at the door, Ivy had gone home to sleep before waking up early and heading into the Ministry to talk to Penny. She got a similar story from her friend, that it had been sudden and nothing had happened leading up to their split. With Penny's permission, Ivy went to their flat to look around.
Honestly, it was almost too easy. Ivy had spent years of her life learning how to find Dark Magic, how to fight against it. Once inside their flat, she cast a few revealing charms and there it was. The answer to all the confusion. Sitting on a counter was a bunch of flowers, perfectly innocent looking. Keeping clear of them, Ivy conjured a small trunk, placing the flowers inside. George had mentioned the flowers and if they were the only thing brought into the house, well.
Her next visit was to the florist. The witch there seemed to have no idea what had happened. Ivy questioned her for nearly an hour, asking about her vendors, how the flowers were delivered. With Valentine's Day being such a busy holiday, the witch had ordered flowers from a new greenhouse to make up for the demand. She couldn't remember how she'd heard about them, but the flowers were beautiful and far cheaper than other greenhouses. It had made sense, she told Ivy. A perfect way to cut costs on her already most profitable day of the year.
Within the new few hours, Ivy had traveled to the greenhouse, the from there extracted the curse lingering on several dozen roses that hadn't been purchased. The owner, a pale and chubby older man, had broken down under Ivy's stare. Yes, he confessed, it had been Malfoy. The wizard had come to him, paying off his Gringott's loan in exchange for one small favor. Preying on the needs of others was a smart move, Ivy had to give him that.
She headed back to the florist and requested copies of all receipts and orders. It had been awhile since Ivy had to pound the pavement, running down leads. She locked herself away in an empty office, checking orders against the flower types supplied by the greenhouse. The flowers she'd confiscated from Penny and George's flat had been sent down to Mysteries, confirming what Ivy already knew. A love curse. Who still used love curses? Her last act before going to meet with the Minister was to destroy the flowers she'd taken. Ivy watched as they burned away, the flame flickering an odd shade of purple as they died. Gods, she hoped that worked.
All her research and writing up her report for the Ministry had taken Ivy all day. By the time she left, most of her co-workers had gone home for the day. Her stomach growled, her head throbbed, but she'd done it. One more tally in her ledger. One more act to wash away the blood she'd spilled in her life.