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Lucius Malfoy (in_deep) wrote in wished,
@ 2009-09-08 22:05:00

Entry tags:

!1997: 09, !complete, lucius malfoy, percy weasley

Who: Lucius Malfoy and Percy Weasley
What: Lucius comes back to the Ministry to retrieve something improperly impounded during a raid
Where: Ministry of Magic
When: Today
Warnings: None

It had been some time since Lucius had left home. Coming into the city was a step he hadn't been looking forward to taking - not now, at least, when things were still so ... unsettled. And his dread had been well-placed, too: as though it hadn't been enough of an insult to his dignity to use the visitor's entrance, as if the nametag, of all things, hadn't made him want to turn around and go straight home - the stares in the Atrium had been positively agonizing. It seemed everyone had suddenly forgotten how to whisper as he walked through the crowd, nose firmly in the air, as always. He could hear the speculation surrounding him perfectly clearly as he stopped now to give his name to Security (you'd know damn well who I was even if it wasn't printed on my chest, you vile little peon). It was hard not to think longingly of times past, when he'd have swept by without so much as a second glance. - Someone would certainly have held the lift for him, then, too. Not so, today; he was left waiting for what must have been at least three minutes, possibly more. But it was almost better that way, he supposed. When it finally returned to the first level, it was empty, and he stepped in alone, save for one unaccompanied memo fluttering about his head. When he stepped out, the paper was twitching brokenly on the floor. He felt marginally better.

And he'd had no choice but to come, of course, he told himself. When he'd received the letter informing him that there had been a mistake, and that he was free to come recover what was rightfully his ... Well, it would be a cold day in hell before he'd let any of his family heirlooms rot in the Ministry's vaults if he could help it. This one he'd had from his grandmother - a pretty little jewelry box with the charming habit of inducing unauthorized openers to try and off themselves - and if they were giving it back, he was bloody well taking it. Even if it meant stopping here, in front of the small, relatively unassuming doorway he'd hardly ever noticed before on his way just down the hall to the Minister's offices. And even if it did mean taking it from a Weasley. How many of you are there? he wondered testily, as he rapped impatiently at the door.

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weatherby
2009-09-09 02:38 am UTC (link)

And there was a time when anticipating the arrival of Lucius Malfoy would have meant nervous pacing, straightening of his desk, fidgetting, trying to rehearse words that were properly respectful and yet not obsequious. Percy walked a lot of fine lines in his job, but with Malfoy there was the compounded family history making it even more complicated. Dealing with Malfoy had meant staying on his toes.

Luckily, matters were different, and the inked-in note reminding him that Mr. Lucius Malfoy was due by today to collect one (1) burnished silver jewelry box was just one of a dozen things he had to juggle.

Percy did not, therefore, immediately leap to his feet and run to the door when the knock came. He didn't even think about who his visitor might be until he called for them to come in. Another report being delivered, no doubt. Another department head come to demand their budget be stretched, or another bloody auror coming around to call him some uncreative yet undoubtedly profane name for seizing one (1) burnished silver jewelry box in the first place.

He didn't look up, even when he heard the door open. His work continued, the budgets and name-calling were hardly dents in his schedule.

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in_deep
2009-09-09 03:09 am UTC (link)

Lucius pushed the door open and stood on the threshold, radiating distaste. He was tremendously uncomfortable intruding on the wretchedly bureaucratic world behind all the gilt and mirrors, and looked as though he thought everything from the walls to the furniture to the jumped-up clerk seated at the desk might be contagious. He found himself almost absurdly affronted when the boy failed to do so much as pick up his head. His jaw tensed slightly, and his fingers tightened around the door handle.

"Ah, yes," he said quietly, with a dismissive glance around the rest of the office. "You're one of the middle ones, aren't you." He remembered his face, and even if he hadn't - scribbling away hopelessly behind closed doors was the family way, wasn't it? And probably proud of it, goodness knew. "If you have a moment, Weasley." He wasn't going to stand waiting any longer this afternoon - he'd had his fill of that.

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weatherby
2009-09-09 03:21 am UTC (link)

Percy's instincts tugged at him the moment the door opened. It was easy to detect without even lifting his head that it wasn't a droning department head or blustering auror that had entered.

Still, an unfinished thought was the first sign of a disorganized mind, so he finished his sentence on the report he was about to return to the Department of Mysteries, again, to be corrected and re-submitted.

That voice, though, caught his focus. He looked up, blinking through his glasses at Malfoy.

"Excuse me, Mr. Malfoy, but one of the middle what?"

Being so instantly regarded and dismissed as Weasley - an anonymous Weasley, a middle Weasley - made his spine stiffen, but he stood to grant his visitor his full attention.

"Please come in, sir. There are forms you'll need to sign to formally reclaim your possession. Just give me a moment to...ah." He effeciently tugged a thin stack of parchments from under a couple more unread and no doubt wretchedly-written reports.

He gestured to the chair in front of his desk. Malfoy didn't carry the weight he once did - not in the Ministry, and seemingly not anywhere else - but Percy was nothing if not formal. Polite, even, though of course his demonstration of manners towards Lucius Malfoy would just get him thrown that much further out of his family.

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in_deep
2009-09-09 03:47 am UTC (link)

"Of Arthur's boys, of course." Lucius cast the name off as though he were swatting it away, like one of those irritating memoranda. He stepped inside, nudging the door carelessly shut behind him, and took the indicated seat. Some of his customary ease came back to him then - he leaned casually back into the chair, pulling his own pen out from an inside pocket. Being treated like he actually belonged here was going miles towards re-entrenching his old public habits, though Weasley wouldn't be seeing any gratitude for it.

"Junior undersecretary, is it?" he asked, going over the title rather slowly as he watched him pick out the right documents. He gave him a smile that might have been polite, or mocking, or just stiff. "He must be very proud of you." Merlin, but he missed this sort of thing, even if there was no more real threat in it. It had been more than a year since he'd had anyone higher up than a house-elf he could even safely sneer at. He held his hand out for the papers.

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weatherby
2009-09-09 03:56 am UTC (link)

Percy's eyes snapped up at the last words. His hands stilled on the parchments he was organizing. It was brief, his reaction, but careless. Stupid to be affected by something so...innocuous.

Unless it wasn't meant to be innocous. But though Percy had no doubt that Malfoy wouldn't want to get digs in against his father whenever he could, he did doubt that Malfoy kept up with the goings on of the Weasley family.

So he answered, stiffly, as he straightened his parchments. "My job title is one of the many things my father chooses not to approve of about me." And that was far too much personal information to be giving out to official visitors.

He slipped the thin stack of parchments to the other side of the desk, turning them with a practiced hand so they were facing Malfoy and his pen. "Regulations dictate that I officially warn you about the dangers of the artifact that is being returned to you," he said, because regulations did dictate as much. He doubted there was a single thing about the jewelry box or anything else in Malfoy Manor that Lucius was not fully aware of, though.

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in_deep
2009-09-09 04:11 am UTC (link)

What did it say about the state of his affairs, he wondered, that the closest he had come to glee in far too long was coming from needling a second-rate civil servant? - But Lucius wasn't too given to introspection; he decided to enjoy it while he could. He'd only meant it as a little barb. Uncovering trouble in the Weasley household was an unexpected bonus that made the miserable trek through the Ministry more than worth it. "More fool him, then," he said, giving his pen a shake. "I'd say you're upholding the family tradition flawlessly. - Is it dangerous? I had no notion." He signed his name where designated, on the first page, and flipped to the second. He hadn't been away from the Ministry for so long that he'd forgotten about triplicate copies. "And to think, I've had it simply sitting harmlessly on a side table in the drawing room." A few feet above all of the other 'harmless' pieces he wouldn't be taking home with him today.

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weatherby
2009-09-09 04:35 am UTC (link)

Percy had withstood the barbs and humiliations of his own family for the last few months - years - and he wasn't about to let Lucius Malfoy ruffle his feathers now.

He returned to his seat behind the desk, clearing his throat primly. Malfoy wanted to be snide and smug? Fine, Percy would fire back the way he did best - with the droning dullness of petty bureaucracy:

"It's a bit of a catch-22 I find myself in, Mr. Malfoy, to borrow a phrase from Muggle literature. You see, the aurors who...inspected your home weeks ago were instructed to look for very particular items, and to disturb nothing else. Your jewelry box was obviously not on the list of items. But before its presence was discovered, it had been inspected by several of our aurors and found to contain some elements of dark magic."

He slipped into the drone easily. Mindless, almost fun by now, really, being the perfect irritating peon everyone dismissed him as. Fun because Malfoy had no choice but to hear him out to the dull and dry end if he wanted to reclaim his possessions.

"Of course Ministry guidelines forbid the release of any items containing dark magic. And there's the catch - we should never have inspected the item, yet now we should not be releasing it. The compromise, then, lies in making sure you are fully informed of the item's dangers and have signed several forms absolving the Ministry of any liability for any accidents you may have involving said item."

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in_deep
2009-09-10 03:05 am UTC (link)

The little twitch that pulled Lucius's mouth up at the corner was born not of amusement, but of genuine irritation. It was one thing to have some washed up fool in a dead-end job going home to tinker with Muggle toys on his own time; it was quite another to have a young man in (or at least sitting next to) the highest levels of the Ministry choose to toss out one of their cultural references like it was the most natural thing in the world. He raised his eyebrows slightly in distaste as he fixed his signature to the second page, and the third.

... And the fourth, and - Merlin, how many were there? And the boy just kept going. He looked up at him, his pen poised stiffly over the paper, his expression flattening. You're enjoying this - aren't you? Brat. He took a little pleasure in imagining the awkwardness this particular Weasley must have faced in having such an absolute screw-up for a father, but the images were only so potent.

He cut in as soon as there seemed to be a lull. "How dreadfully tedious for you," he said, with a rather pointed lack of sympathy. "Let us say I consider myself fully informed. Shall we? I assure you, I have no desire to waste your time with formalities."

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weatherby
2009-09-10 03:19 am UTC (link)

"Tedious?" Percy regarded Malfoy with as innocent a look as he could manage - him being Percy and not one of the other Weasleys, he could manage a fairly convincing one. Who would ever believe the Ministry's pet prig could be anything less than innocent.

"I don't find it tedious at all, sir. I'm happy to do it. In fact, there are a few rather interesting stories I could tell you as well, about the importance of following this sort of procedure and the consequences of letting things slide." He folded his hands on the desk, as officious as anyone could ever want.

"Of course you're an important man with I'm sure a good deal on his schedule, so perhaps a deal: you'll not take up my time with mentions of my family, and I'll be as brief as possible in educating you about your own possession."

He peered steadily across at Malfoy - a trick picked up from his few years dealing with politicians. Protest nothing; imply displeasure without stating it outright, so he couldn't be called on anything. Percy wasn't Weasley enough to bluster or protest and feed into Malfoy's smug little pokes. But he was Weasley enough to want Malfoy to know that in his office, on his time, he wasn't a pushover who would take those pokes lying down.

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in_deep
2009-09-10 03:52 am UTC (link)

An important man. Lucius's face darkened. It was hard to keep the sneer out of his voice, but he had done his time with politicians, too - he knew about hedging, about holding one's distance and keeping clean hands. There was nothing he would have liked more than to take that look off Weasley's face, but instead he merely smiled. It was a bit toxic - he doubted if anyone had ever believed him innocent since he'd learned to talk - but a smile nonetheless.

"Certainly, certainly," he said lightly, capping his pen and tucking it away again. "I meant no offense." He never did, when it came down to it. Simple, bald denial had lifted him out of more tight spots than should ever have been possible. Incontrovertible fact was highly inconvenient (dangerous, even, in some forms), and he avoided attaching himself to it when he could. Opportunities to slither around the truth were dwindling these days, alas. He folded his hands on his side of the desk, leaning forward very slightly to signal his attention.

"By all means - educate away."

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weatherby
2009-09-10 04:00 am UTC (link)

"No offense taken, sir," Percy answered with equal sincerity. "I simply find it best to keep matters that don't pertain to the Ministry out of this office."

He sat back, rather relieved all in all. Malfoy, for whatever respect he had lost in the last few months, was still a dangerous and powerful man. Percy wasn't fool enough to think otherwise. Even if he had nothing else, he was still rich. And money was power.

But he didn't only have money. Even if his position was as tenuous as auror rumors and reports suggested, it would not due to underestimate him. Percy couldn't help if the man regarded him as an enemy: his last name insured that. But he wasn't foolish enough to paint a target on his own forehead.

"Very well then." He reached out to retrieve the forms, glancing them over as he talked to make sure they were properly executed. "I'm sure it will come as a shock for you to hear that an auror who attempted to open the jewelry box taken from your home had to be subdued to keep from performing the killing curse on herself." Since he knew it wouldn't be a shock at all he didn't bother looking up to catch Malfoy's reaction.

"No doubt an old family hex forgotten about generations ago, but it's my duty to warn you to protect yourself and anyone else who may come into contact with the box."

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in_deep
2009-09-10 04:30 am UTC (link)

"You don't say," Lucius replied, looking distinctly unsurprised. If anything, he was disappointed. The errant house-elf who'd taken it upon himself to organize everything on the ground floor had tried to open his veins with a kitchen knife - so much more amusing - but then, he hadn't had a wand. "I do hope she's alright. I must say, your people are very conscientious. It wasn't so long ago something so unimportant might have slipped through the cracks, never to be seen again." They had been better days, when a piece of gold would get him what half an hour in a grim office wouldn't get him now. He thought that finding an auror stretched out under a sheet in his drawing room might have been worth the insult of having them pouring through the front door in the first place. Well - perhaps next time. "I'll be sure to address it the moment I get home."

He'd set it right back in its proper place beside the lamp, at any rate. And then, back to business as usual ... And suddenly, he was tempted to stay out for as much of the afternoon as he could get away with. Home hardly seemed like much of a refuge. - He should pick up something for Narcissa while he was out, naturally.

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weatherby
2009-09-10 04:41 am UTC (link)

Percy was caught between worry and amusement as he realized that by 'something so unimportant' he wasn't sure if Malfoy meant the jewelry box or the auror.

He cleared his throat. "Yes, well. Like most old magic this particular hex runs the risk of being unpredictable. See that care is taken." He rose from his desk, satisfied that he had done the letter of his duty. He couldn't say more than that, since his words were wasted on Malfoy and the hex was no doubt simply an amusement to the man.

Percy didn't hesitate to recover the small jewelry box from a case on a rear bookshelf in the overcrowded office. He didn't hesitate to hold it out to Malfoy, offer the dark magic back to the Death Eater. He had already fought half the aurors in the building over whether such a thing could be returned to Lucius Malfoy, so the moral arguments both for and against it were hollow by then.

"I believe you'll find it in the same condition it left your manor in. If not," he smiled dryly, amusing himself if no one else, "there are forms you can fill out and file with our complaint department."

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in_deep
2009-09-11 01:36 am UTC (link)

Lucius looked up at him silently as he turned to sort through the ordered clutter behind him. When he saw it gleaming out at him, he felt absurdly gratified. Victories were coming scarce, and any sort of success - even if it had grown out of a disastrous home-invasion - lifted his spirits a little. He stood to accept the box from him when it was offered, flipped it over once, carefully, in his hand, and then slipped it into his robes.

"The complaint department, yes - I believe I know where that is," he said, without a trace of irony. Lucius had had a habit, not so long ago, of inundating various institutions with angry letters. It was a pastime he rather missed. Not enough to stop in for old times' sake, of course. Not today. "Good day to you, then." He turned to the door. "I'm sure one of your sticky-fingered aurors will have me back here before very long."

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weatherby
2009-09-11 01:43 am UTC (link)

Percy sat once Lucius turned away to leave. He lifted his quill, but hesitated to dive back into his work before Malfoy was officially gone.

A faint, bemused smile touched his face. "Our sticky-fingered aurors would be happy to never have you return, Mr. Malfoy, especially to reclaim your misbeggotten possessions. I'm afraid it's officious, dutiful clerks like me whom you'll have to deal with should something like this occur again."

With a wry smile he hid by bowing his head, Percy reached for the report he had been half-finished with when Malfoy arrived.

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