Special delivery for nightfalltwen Title:A Trip Around the World Author: Recipient's LJ name:nightfalltwen Pairing(s):Ron Weasley/Susan Bones Rating: R SummaryCan an Unspeakable and an Auror get along? We’ll find out as members of two different divisions follow a parallel path around the world. Word Count: 4,366 Warnings/Content:None. Disclaimer: (optional) Author's notes: This fic was inspired by the first line of the song "Boys" by the Shirelles. Thank you to my beta, F. I appreciate the input and assistance and inspiration. nightfalltwen, I hope you enjoy this. Your special elements made this a very fun story to write. I hope my attempts to be less explicit are to your liking. Thank you to the lovely mods for bearing with me when real life interfered with my ability to get this to you, and thank you for running this lovely fest.
Ministry of Magic, March 21, 2005
Aurors were swarming the Department of Mysteries, making it nearly impossible for Susan to make her way towards her office. She could hear bits and pieces of their conversations. From what she could make out, Stewart Ackerly had killed one of the Senior Unspeakables and was on the run. They had no idea what his motive was or what he was after They wouldn’t Susan thought. She was not impressed with the Aurors – they tended to snoop around too much, and some of them couldn’t keep secrets to save their lives.
She finally managed to push through the fray and make it to her office where her supervisor was waiting for her. “What’s up, Carmilla?” Susan asked as she sat down in her chair.
“You noticed the Aurors swarming our department,” the older woman replied. It was not a question.
“Yeah, I had to push my way through them. I heard them mention Ackerly.”
“Yes. Apparently he was in an area that he is not cleared to be in and Robert caught him. They struggled a bit and Ackerly killed him with Avada Kedavra and fled. All we know is that he was trying to find out about the Ouroboros of Cleopatra.”
“So, you think he went after the Ouroboros.” Susan frowned. “Do the Aurors know that?”
Her boss shook her head. “No. I don’t want them knowing either.” She sighed. “As far as I can tell, the files and texts are still there. However, we need to try to find that artifact before he does. From what the Aurors are saying out there, it’s possible that he had leanings towards the Death Eaters, though, obviously, he was never part of them. Still, you know what that one simple artifact can potentially do. Since this is your project, I’m sending you to after it.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“So you want us to go after Ackerly, sir?” Ron Weasley and Harry Potter sat in the Minister of Magic’s office later that morning.
“Yes. He is a murderer, and from looking at his employee file, he’s done a few things over the years that would implicate him as a dark wizard. He did not join the Death Eaters, but in interviewing a few of his coworkers and former classmates, we were able to ascertain that his beliefs were definitely in line with Voldemorts.” Kingsley took a deep breath. “The Department of Mysteries is not giving us any information about what Ackerly was after, so we don’t know his motive for this murder.”
“They are withholding information, sir? Isn’t that against policy?” Ron was not really surprised, though he did not really care for all the secrecy that came from the Department. He had never liked secrets.
“Ron, it doesn’t matter. We won’t get the information out of them, so it’s useless to push the issue.” Harry tried to reason with Ron, but he wasn’t certain it would work. “We have a murder on our hands, and the murderer is gone. It doesn’t matter why he did it. I think I remember him…he wasn’t very social, and tended to keep to himself, though he had a lot of friends among the Slytherins.”
Kingsley looked at the two men in front of him. “I’m sending you two after him. I don’t know how you are going to find him, but I advise you not to go to the Department of Mysteries. You won’t accomplish anything, and right now the last thing I want is two of the biggest departments in the Ministry fighting with one another..”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Paris, France , March 24, 2005
Susan sighed in frustration as she ate her dinner. She had the notes and the highly classified file that her boss gave her, but no other clues. It was rumored that the Ouroboros was once owned by Nicholas Flamel and was used to help him create the Philosopher’s Stone. If Ackerly was after the ouroboros, she could only conclude that he intended to try to make a stone of his own. Why he would want to create one was anyone’s guess. The Ackerlys were a wealthy pureblood family, so he wouldn’t necessarily need to make gold. There had to be a more sinister purpose. It was rumored that his family was dark, but there had never been any proof of that.
She studied the notes in front of her trying to figure out where to go next. Tomorrow she had an appointment with the Wizarding University of Paris, The item in question was the Ouroboros of Cleopatra. Cleopatra was Egyptian. Logically, Egypt would be the next place to go.
It would take her another couple of days at the least to finish her research and interviews and at least one day after that to get the portkey to Egypt.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Can we please stop and get something to eat, Harry? We have been at this for six hours!”
Harry just shook his head and the entered the first café they saw. They were having no luck in tracking Ackerly. They were able to figure out that he fled to Paris. A visit to his girlfriend revealed that much. It was a shame that the girl didn’t know anything else about her boyfriend.
Ron went in first and stopped almost immediately. “Harry, look!” He pointed to the booth in the corner where Susan sat. “What is she doing here? I bet the Department of Mysteries has sent her to follow him too. She’s going to muck it all up for us!”
“Calm down, Ron,” Harry was getting tired of telling him that. “We don’t even know if that’s the reason she’s here…” he trailed off as Ron walked towards Susan’s table.
Ron sat down across from Susan, not bothering to ask. “What are you here for, Bones?” He asked angrily.
“I can’t tell you Weasley,” Susan replied glaring as she gathered her files up.
“What are you hiding? Are you covering for Ackerly?” Ron made a grab for her papers.
“Weasley, stop it!” Susan pushed his hands away. “These are classified papers!” She glared at him. “I’m on assignment yes, but I cannot tell you the details, and if you harass me about it I will put in a formal complaint with Kingsley about your conduct.” She poked her finger in his chest. “I am not allowed to talk about it. You know that.” Her face was slightly flushed, and her chest was heaving, and he couldn’t help thinking that she looked rather hot.
He threw that thought aside though and continued blustering on. “You are covering for him! I knew it! Harry!”
Harry sighed. This was not going well at all. He heard Susan’s threat to complain and knew that Ron would get in trouble. Susan was highly respected at the Ministry. “Ron, leave off! You know the rules.” He gave Susan an apologetic smile and sent Ron to get them drinks. “I’m sorry he was so rough. Do you know anything about what happened with Ackerly? That’s all I want to know.”
Susan shook her head. “No, Harry I don’t know what exactly happened with him. I can only guess why he did it. I never worked closely with him, and didn’t know him all that well. He kept mainly to himself.” She shrugged. “It’s purely coincidence that we are here.”
Harry nodded. “I’m sorry for the intrusion, Susan. How long are you here for?”
“I’m here for a few more days. That’s all I can tell you.”
He nodded. “I hope your assignment is successful.” He nodded and took a table rather far away from Susan.
When Ron sat down Harry jumped on him. “Are you out of your mind, Ron? You don’t assault an Unspeakable like that.”
“She knows something, Harry!”
“No, Ron, she doesn’t. She only has speculations, and if it has anything to do with her assignment, which we have no evidence of, she can’t tell us.”
Ron nodded sullenly, though he spent the entirety of their meal watching Susan. He still found it suspicious that she was here at the same time as they were, and was convinced that she was hiding something other than her assignment. Yes, he would have to watch her very carefully. Thankfully, she was rather attractive to look at.
Susan knew that she was being watched, and that Ron did not trust her. Then again, he was a known to be a hothead. Easy on the eyes, admittedly, but he lost his cool too easily. How he ever got into the Auror force was beyond her -maybe because he was friends with Harry. In her opinion, he jumped to conclusions too easily, which was interesting because he was supposedly incredible with strategy. I am overanalyzing this way too much. There are more important things to focus on than Ron Weasley and his abilities as an Auror.
Ron watched her as she gathered her files and left, his eyes drawn to her small waist and the curve of her hips and bum as she walked by their table. She had incredibly long legs too.
Harry watched his friend with amusement. He suspected that Ron was interested in Susan, but he’d never admit it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Alexandria, Egypt – March 30, 2005
It had taken longer than she thought it would to go through the archives at the Wizard’s University; however, the time had been well spent. She came away with more information than she thought she would get, particularly about Mssr. Flamel. It was thought that the artifact had gone missing in the late 1600’s, after the Flamels had donated it to the university. The current dean and curator of the museum attached to the school agreed that the next logical place to look for the artifact was in Egypt. He had also confirmed that he was visited by Ackerly, and that he suspected that the other man was probably headed to Egypt, possibly Alexandria, where the Great Library, and the ruins of Cleopatra’s Palace were.
Her opinion of Egypt was mixed so far. It was a treasure trove of history and culture, both Muggle and wizard. It was also bloody hot and dry and she didn’t really want to think about how much sand covered her body.
She tied the ribbons of the big straw hat she had purchased and wandered around the palace ruins. So far, there was nothing of consequence, save maybe a couple of worthless baubles dropped by tourists. Two days here and she was no closer to completing her mission than she had been when she left France. It was a shame that the Great Library of Alexandria was 50 feet underwater. Perhaps the library of the University of Cairo would be a better source of information.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
She had just gone through the Floo to the Egyptian Ministry of Magic, and was bending down to pick up her bags, when she felt someone bump into her, pushing her onto the floor on top of her bags. She turned around and picked herself up and found that she was staring at Ron Weasley’s chest.
“You oaf! Watch where hell you are going?” Susan was glaring up at him and then at Harry, who came out of the Floo a moment later. “What in Merlin’s name are you two doing?” She turned her fury to Ron. “Weasley I swear! I told you what I know, which is NOTHING! Why do you keep following me? Don’t you have other work that needs to be taken care of?”
“Me? What the bloody hell is wrong with you, Bones? Is it only coincidence that YOU wind up in the same places as we are? I don’t think it is. You know something, damn it, and I’m going to find out what it is!” Ron was turning red.
”Ron, Susan,” Harry moved so he was between them. “Will both of you calm down please?” he begged. “I really don’t want a scene here, so why don’t we all go have dinner and try to settle this quietly?” He turned to Susan. “I know you aren’t a suspect, and I know you have no idea what’s going on, and I also know you can’t talk about your projects. Let me buy you dinner to apologize for our behavior.” He turned back to Ron. “You need to calm your temper, you know that,” he said softly. “One would think that you are interested in her and are only doing this to get a reaction.”
Ron turned even redder after Harry said that. He nodded and looked over Harry’s shoulder at Susan. “I lost my temper, and I’m sorry.”
Susan nodded, not quite ready to forgive him, but unwilling to turn down dinner, and motioned for them to go ahead.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Dinner turned out better than she had expected, and Ron was actually rather pleasant when he wasn’t trying to play Big Bad Auror. It was the first time she really noticed certain things about him – how his eyes sparkled when he laughed and that they were the color of the sky. She noticed the dimple on his cheek and the funny faces he made when he was telling a story about his brothers.
Ron also began to notice Susan. Well, he had noticed her before, she had a great arse and lovely legs and she was rather nicely endowed…but he realized there was more to her than her body. She had a quick wit, and a quick temper, but an absolutely wicked sense of humor. She was almost as smart as Hermione but she seemed a lot less bossy.
As their evening continued, she revealed that she as not going after a person but an object, and she suspected that Ackerly was after it too. They did not ask further, but told her that they were following Ackerly. The exchange of information, along with good natured ribbing that Ron should have been a bit more tactful in his interrogation. They parted company on a more positive note.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
San Francisco, California, USA, April 6, 2005
The search was starting to feel like a snipe hunt more than anything. Her trip to Greece had yielded nothing. She thought that she might find something, a clue, a hint, anything, since her research revealed that Cleopatra was an ancestor of Ptolemy, who was a Macedonian Greek. She thought going back to the roots would give her something; however, it was a bad lead and turned up nothing. Even more surprising was that she didn’t run into Ron or Harry who were apparently on the same path, with a different objective. She found it disturbing that she was disappointed at the fact.
Her luck changed when one of her coworkers sent her an owl telling her that they had managed to trace ownership of the ouroboros to a Chinese man who immigrated to San Francisco at the height of the Gold Rush in the mid 1800’s.
For this leg of the trip, she decided to try to do things the Muggle way. She went to a Muggle travel agent in Greece and scheduled the trip to San Francisco, grateful that the Ministry provided her with Muggle documents. She booked a room at the Hilton at Union Square, just because the picture of the hotel looked nice.
She spent her first day exploring the City, looking in various antique and junk shops, only halfway focused on her work. Shopping was always a fun pastime for her, and she bought several items for family and friends and coworkers.
It was close to dinner time when she returned to the hotel and decided to eat in the hotel restaurant after she put her purchases in her room. As the waitress brought her a menu and a glass of water, she heard a familiar voice.
”You know, we really need to stop meeting like this.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ron and Harry had been in the city for four days. All of their leads were coming up empty. They were both tired and frustrated and wanted the case to end.
Harry wanted to stay in, so Ron decided to go downstairs and have dinner. He was rather surprised to see Susan sitting in the restaurant, and thought that perhaps she might like some company.
He smiled when she looked up at him, and didn’t roll her eyes despite the fact that he had used a rather barmy and clichéd line on her.
“We do,” she replied as she motioned for him to sit down. “Should I ask what you are doing here or do I already know the answer?”
“You already know why. How long have you been here?” He asked.
“A little over a day. How about you?”
“We’ve been here for four days now, with nothing to show for it. Harry is a bit frustrated and missing Ginny, so he is sulking upstairs. I really didn’t feel like listening to him go on about my sister.”
Susan looked at him for a moment before replying to that. “What about you and Hermione?” She asked.
“We were divorced a year and a half ago. We were both so absorbed in our jobs that we didn’t realize that we were drifting apart. She started seeing Michael Corner, who works with her. She’s happy and they have more in common.”
Susan simply nodded, assuming that he didn’t really want to discuss his ex. She didn’t want to either.
They ordered their meals and a bottle of wine. As they ate, they talked about various things – their likes, dislikes, office gossip, mixed in with a very healthy amount of flirting and innuendo. By the end of the meal they were both tipsy, and having a good time.
It was difficult for them to walk out of the restaurant without leaning on each other. They were silent as they took the elevator to the ninth floor where their rooms were. “You know,” Susan said as they got out of the elevator, “Harry might not appreciate you coming in tipsy. Do you want to come to my room and talk while we sober up?”
Ron agreed and followed her to her room. He sat down on one of the chairs. “How did you get a bigger room than us?” He asked.
“I decided to book a suite. I figured it would be fun to live like a Muggle for a while, but I wanted to do it in style.” She laughed. “I’m not reporting this as part of my expenses,” she admitted as she sat down on the other chair.
“I don’t blame you. I don’t know how you would explain it. So, how is your project going?”
“Its not going as well as I’d like. I have a potential lead to explore tomorrow, but otherwise, I think I may just return to England and work on it from there.”
“Ours is going pretty much the same way. This guy is rather good at evading us.”
Susan nodded. “I feel bad that I can’t help you.”
He shrugged. “Its okay, Susan, I feel bad that I was so harsh with you. I’m really not like that all the time.”
“That means a lot Ron. Thanks.”
The next few minutes were silent, neither one of them knew what to say. Ron was trying to figure out a way to ask her out, while Susan wasn’t sure what to do now. She had an attractive and available man in her room. She was far from prude, but still did not think that the woman should make the first move.
“So,” Ron started, breaking the silence, “I was wondering if maybe when we get back to England if you would go out to dinner with me on a real date.”
Susan was surprised that he asked, but readily agreed.
There was more awkward silence before Ron finally stood up. “I should be getting back to Harry. He’s probably wondering what happened to me.”
”Probably a good idea,” Susan stood up to get the door for him, touching it at the same time he did.
“Sorry,” she blushed and started to remove her hand from the door but Ron stopped her.
Time stood still for Susan as Ron leaned in to kiss her.
The door was forgotten as Susan responded to the kiss, wrapping her arms around her, which was a bit difficult given the height difference. She stood on her toes, which helped a bit.
Ron picked her up off her feet as they deepened the kiss. She tasted like the wine they had shared, and he couldn’t get enough. She smelled really nice, like vanilla.
They pulled apart and started laughing. “That was rather nice,” Susan said. “I think I’d like another.”
Ron was only too happy to oblige and kissed her harder this time, running his hands through her hair, and down her back to cup her firm arse.
Susan squeaked as she felt him grab her arse. She wasn’t expecting it but she didn’t mind. She ran her hands over his back, down to his arse before pulling away.
She began to unbutton his shirt, studying his torso as it fell open. He was fit, and firm. Strong arms too. They made her feel safe. She felt wanton and wicked, but she knew that Ron would probably stop if she asked him to, and wouldn’t necessarily think badly of her for taking the initiative.
Ron was rather surprised when she began to remove his shirt, but he didn’t stop her. He figured she knew what she wanted and he’d let her take the lead. He moved arms and shrugged his shirt off letting it fall to the floor before kissing her again. He held her tighter this time, wanting her to feel the effect she was having on him. All they were doing was kissing, not even really snogging and he was getting hard.
When he once again managed to pull away he took a deep breath. “Susan, if we don’t stop now, I’m not going to be able to stop.”
Susan smiled at him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “What if I don’t want you to?”
That was all the prompting he needed to push her onto the bed. She was intoxicating to him at this point.
He continued kissing her, planting kisses on her cheeks and lips before moving to her neck and collarbone, sucking lightly on the skin at the base of her neck. He slid his hand up her sweater, feeling the smooth skin of her stomach before brushing his hand lightly over her bra, smiling as he felt her nipples respond to his touch.
He sat up and lifted her upper body so he could remove her sweater. With her help he got it off and tossed it aside before moving his hands to unclasp her bra.
She lay before him her breasts exposed to him. They were very nice, and fit his hands nicely he discovered as he played with them before lowering his mouth to each nipple, enjoying the fact that she writhed under him as he did so.
He moved lower down her body, removing the rest of her clothes, leaving her naked on the bed. She looked like a goddess to him, and he wanted to make this last.
“Are you going to take your pants off?” She asked as he sat up to admire her.
He couldn’t get them off fast enough.
They were on the bed kissing and touching. He kissed and caressed every inch of her, making her moan softly. He slid his hand between her legs and rubbed her outer lips before slipping two slender fingers inside. The contact made her buck against his hand and then against his mouth as he kissed the small patch of curls before making his way down to her inner thighs and back up to her sex. He was very talented with his hands and mouth and she soon came hard around his fingers.
He moved back up her body and kissed her, before she pushed him down onto the bed. She gave him the same treatment, discovering that he liked having his nipples pinched and licked. She made her way down his body, making sure that she kept constant contact with his erection. He was very well endowed, and the thought of him inside her gave her shivers of the most delicious kind.
When he finally entered her, she came harder than she did the first time. He moved quickly as she rode out her orgasm, coming shortly after she did.
The second round was more intense than the first round and lasted longer. The sun was coming up as they finally wore themselves out.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ministry of Magic, London, April 21, 2005
Susan traveled with Harry and Ron for the rest of their respective missions. From San Francisco, she was able to trace the ouroboros to New York and then to Ireland. Ron and Harry followed her lead, realizing that if they found the object, they would find the murderer.
They finally caught up with him in County Cork. The object Susan was looking for was in the hands of Seamus Finnigan, who said it was a family heirloom and he had no idea that it was anything important. He willingly gave it to Susan.
Ackerly was caught trying to break into the Finnigans' home to steal the item. Harry and Ron were all too pleased to make the arrest.
They spent their first day back in London in their respective departments, going through briefings and giving their reports.
Susan caught up to Ron as he was getting out of the lift in the Atrium. “How did it go?” She asked as she kissed him.
“I’m glad it’s over,” he replied. “How about with you?”
“The department is pleased to have the item and it’s safely stored away.” She said as she brushed a lock of hair from her face.
“Good.” Ron smiled. “So, do you want to go on that date now?”
“I have a better idea,” Susan said. “Why don’t we go back to my place and celebrate the successful completion of our trip around the world?”