thattimeofthemonth | Open RP Post

Silence reigned in the office after Draco's impassioned words, their echo hanging in the air as Kingsley stood there, looking unmoved. Remus, though, could not hide the expression from his face as he stared at the mark that Draco had been branded with so young - possibly younger than any other dark wizard had been. It would sit scarred into his flesh for the rest of his existence, forever a sight of shame to be covered up or hated by viewer and owner alike. Maybe there was something naive in him that wanted to believe Draco, one of the last people perhaps who he should have any faith or belief in, but from what he had seen of the older Malfoys and experienced so far with Draco in both the Malfoy summer home and his own home, he was certain of his own thoughts.

Finally, when someone moved, it was only Kingsley. He moved to his office door (Remus caught the faint hand motion of non-verbal, wandless magic being done) and opened it, speaking to someone outside of it too quietly to be heard. Unconsciously, Remus moved closer to Draco, silently lending the younger man support in physical closeness.

It decidedly surprised the hell out of him when two people came into the room, carrying a chest between them. They left after a gesture from Kingsley and shut the door behind them. Remus' brows shot up sharply as the chest moved, making him throw a confused look towards the Minister.

"...Draco," Kingsley started, "in this chest is a boggart. Open it, face it, and return it to the chest."

...What? It took Remus several long moments to even begin to guess why Kingsley would be requesting something from Draco that was taught to third years, but when the possibility of Kingsley's actions came to him, his expression of confusion turned to one of displeasure. It wasn't a test of skill or knowledge or courage... Kingsley wanted to know what Draco feared the most.

He didn't like this one bit.

Draco couldn't help but feel stunned at this new test. His face paled at the thought of facing his own fear. He already felt so raw and vulnerable. His chest was still heaving and his body trembled for his release of the inner turmoil he was feeling. Even that wasn't enough. Couldn't Kingsley see that he was telling the truth? He wasn't acting or lying.

Right now he wanted to hide away in shame. How was this fair? He had already shown his weakness now he wanted to know what he feared? Hesitantly, he looked to Remus and noted that his old teacher had moved closer to him in an attempt to offer support? He couldn't tell. He did know he saw the horror on his face when he revealed the Dark Mark, which made him more ashamed.

He knew had it been when Remus taught Defense of the Dark Arts class...that fear would have been his father. He had been glad then to not have that fear revealed in front of his classmates...but that fear had changed since then and now for the Prime Minister to see it?

He didn't say anything...He knew that nothing at this point was going to get him out of it. And to deny it would go against everything he just said.

Trembling, he forced himself to walk over to the chest. He opened the chest and quickly stepped back as the boggart came out. A Death Eater stood before Draco and at first he thought it was his father. The outfit was similar and he carried a walking stick. Only when he took the mask off it revealed a much older version of himself. Not his father.

Fear held him where he was and he struggled to say the spell and summon up something ridiculous. He found himself failing at the attempt.

Remus stood there trembling, but his trembling wasn't fear but anger. Why was Kingsley doing this?! He had come to the Minister because of all people, he believed that Kingsley would be fair. This was almost a form of torture! If he had been thinking logically and less with his heart, he would have realized Kingsley had to do this. To test Draco and prove that the young man was telling the truth (as he saw it).

When he saw what Draco's fear was, it stunned him to the center of his being. He stared at the older Draco, sneer on his lips and anger in his eyes and utter disdain for his younger self, and refused that to be Draco's future.

He found himself stepping forward, drawing his wand. As he stepped in front of Draco, the bogggart shifted - but it was no longer the full moon that he had feared all of his life. He knew what it would become and the other two would only get a second of what it was now.

Even as Remus snapped off the spell to change the boggart into something silly, they would see a tiny lifeless body on the floor before it changed into a small black puppy.

When the boggart slammed back into the chest, Remus pocketed his wand and glared at Kingsley. "There was no need for that!" He stood between the Minister and Draco, letting the young man regain his composure.

It surprised him that Remus stepped in and sent the boggart on the chest. At the quick glimpse he saw...he wondered if that had been Teddy. To see that hurt him more.

Draco collapsed to his knees and buried his face in his hands. Silent tears were streaming down his face. He felt so ashamed of himself. He knew if his family had seen him in this state they would have been furious at him.

He couldn't do anything. First Professor Snape had come to his rescue and now Remus had. He had come to this meeting hoping to prove himself only to find himself being exploited. He found this to be much worse then the punishments he watched the Dark Lord inflict on his father.

Draco could hear Remus arguing with the Prime Minister. He wondered what would become of him at this point. If the Prime Minister didn't believe he was worth it... then he might as well just go back to his family at this point. Right now he tried his best to regain his composure despite how low he felt.

There was quiet arguing, but Kingsley have Remus a look eventually and he gestured for Remus to step aside. Slowly, Remus did, but he knelt down to put a hand on Draco's shoulder. Draco wasn't alone.

"You may be asking yourself why I have done this. Why I am being cruel, as Remus has suggested. You must understand, young Malfoy, that I must have the safety of the wizarding community as a whole in my perspective. Your parents chose to lie, then lie again, until we could do nothing more than assume they will lie again. This, unfortunately, carries down to you as well. You chose to follow their path in your love for them, and you will be scarred for it. I must be sure that your words are true, to protect us and others. I see now that what Remus has told me is true. As such, I will agree with him on clearing your name, though your family is not under this action unless they chose to work to do so. You will be given a freedom that would not be so granted to them."

Draco flinched more out of habit then because of it being the Prime Minister. Aside from his family he wasn't used to such gestures and even those were rare.

However, it did get him to look up at Kinsley. At that point he managed to get the tears to stop as he listened to what he had to say. While he was upset that his parents weren't cleared...he did understand. He was grateful for the explanation as well.

He gave a nod in understanding. "What can I do to help? I wanted to work...but I'm not sure where or who would take me." He said in a rough voice due to the shouting and crying from earlier..

"Your family must chose what their future is on their own. You, however, will have a choice. Remus spoke to me on this matter. I know of some who I believe will take you on to learn, if you wish." Kingsley stood as Remus rubbed his brow, knowing this had not gone quite as expected.

"Remus or Tonks would be able to show you life as an Auror- regardless of title, Lupin." Remus had been about to point out that he certainly wasn't an Official Auror but... "Perhaps a medical field might interest you more, but more work would have to be done to see if you have the skills for such a thing."

He doubted he would be able to handle he life as an Auror...due to his family. He would fail there. Doing tasks like capturing Dementors... was something he could handle, but when it came to people he wasn't sure on that. The medical field did hold his attention.

Warily, Draco stood back up taking the time to brush off any dirt and straighten his rumpled suite. He paused a bit almost afraid to speak what he wanted to say, but finally allowed himself to.

"Since Remus had first presented me the possibility...I had been thinking and that the medical field held my attention. After watching what my father has been going through... I had thought about wanting to learn how to help people that have suffered like him."

He had also wanted to help Remus and others like him...but he wasn't sure how to voice that with out offending Remus. He knew how sensitive the topic was and didn't want to single him out. But he did want to help.

Edited 2015-10-19 15:52 (UTC)

"Maybe you should speak to Melinda on the subject when she arrives," Remus suggested. "She would be willing to talk to you frankly about the field."

"Melinda?" Kingsley questioned, and Remus rubbed the back of his neck.

"She actually should be passing through the Ministry sometime later today. From America, actually."

"Oh...she's coming by today?" Draco replied a little surprised. He didn't realize she would be arriving so soon.

It seemed like he wasn't the only one surprised. He knew his parents would be in for a surprise as well. Even if she didn't visit tonight but tomorrow.

Remus gave a slight cough. "Melinda tends to go about things her own way. She is, if you can believe it, an American pure-blood, but the Americans handle things very differently. She'll end up flying here much like a Muggle, I would bet."

He hesitated though, "I doubt she will make it up to your parents until tomorrow or the day after."

"Flying in one of those big planes?" Draco replied, somewhat curious. Why would she go one of those strange planes when she can use floo network?

"Then... that'll give them enough time to prepare for the visit."

"Like I said, Melinda does things her own way. I mostly just get out of her way and let her do her thing." Remus shrugged.

"I will be looking out for this Melinda-?" Kingsley said in question.

"Solvens," Remus supplied.

"Melinda Solvens, then."

Before they left, Draco thanked Kingsley for giving him this chance and then stepped in a rest room to clean up. He also made sure his mark had been recovered as well. Quietly, he followed Remus home.

While he had calmed down from the ordeal, he was still dealing with an inner turmoil. He hadn't prepared for anything he dealt with today. He didn't blame Remus for them... this had been out of his control. Remus had done a lot for him already.

Right now, he simply wanted to hide away in his room. He still felt horrible from what happened and ashamed of his behavior and failures. As soon as they got home, Draco quickly went up the stairs and to his room.

Tonks glanced between the disappearing Draco to the guilty looking Remus. "I take it that things didn't go as planned?" she asked.

"I don't even know," Remus said honestly, clearly frustrated. He could tell the moon was waxing and the closer it got, the more easily his frustrations came. "Kingsley... pushed Draco harder than I expected. I never imagined he would be pushed to the point of tears."

He quietly explained to Tonks what had happened at the Ministry, getting a bit more anxious as the explanation went on. When he was done, he sat down hard, head in his hands.

"Remus...Kingsley is a fair person, but hard. It was right to take Draco to him. Out of anyone he would be the one to judge his character the best. He had to push Draco to his limits in order to see what he was really like. This also gave Kingsley a good idea of what to expect from Draco and know what to look for before things become too late.

Draco has a long hard path to follow. People will be looking at him to make mistakes and give up. It's obvious he looks to you as his mentor and he'll need that guidance. Out of anyone...you are the best person to guide him. I am really proud of you, Remus." At this comment, she reached up and kissed him.

She understood his frustrations and how hard it was for him to deal with as the full moon approached. She only wished he would stop carrying the weight of the world with him.

Remus ended up resting his forehead against Tonks, bring up a hand to cup her cheek. He would never understand why she loved him so fiercely but felt like the luckiest man in the world to have her.

"It feels like I couldn't be a worse choice for someone like him, but I won't give up on him when he needs help. ...Pay back for what Albus did for me." The name still brought up so much emotion in him.

"This is that point... I wish James and Lily were still alive. They were so good with this sort of thing."

"They may have been, but the Malfoys were close with Severus Snape. I'm not so sure they would have been right for Draco. I still think you're the right choice. Both of you have come from a similar path and understand each other better.

So should we arrange to go out for dinner tonight if Melinda will be stopping by?" Tonks responded as she attempted to move to a happier topic.

Remus sighed softly. "Melinda is going to end up staying in a Muggle hotel most likely. A part of me knows that sending her to the Malfoys could be like sending a fire spell to a pile of wood, but I know she'll be the best for them. As for tonight... I don't know if she'll pop by tonight or tomorrow. ...I don't know if Draco will be up to seeing her at this rate."

He leaned back slowly, his hand sliding down to take hers. "I've got about a week to the moon, which I'm glad isn't coming until everyone's here at least."

"I personally think that the Malfoys need someone like Melinda to push them around. It'll give them a taste of their own medicine. The only thing they can fuss about is that she's American. She's also the only one who would be impartial to what they've done. Really...that's going out of your way for them." Tonks made a displeased face. She would never be able to accept them not for what they've done.

"Well, then we'll play it by ear to what to do for dinner then. And make sure everything's alright for you." She replied in a softer tone. The full moon weighing on her mind more.

"I'm going to have to explain to Draco what happens to make sure he doesn't do anything foolish or dangerous. Sit him down and let him ask questions so we can get those three days out of the way safely." He gave a little tug and pulled Tonks down knto his lap, smiling sadly.

"She's American, uses Muggle technology as a Pure Blood they know nothing about, oh and she's going to have to handle Lucius' head? Plenty for them to complain about. she'll ignore their gasping and glaring though as long as they don't attack her."

"That will be for the best with Draco. This will be his first time dealing with it. It's different experiencing it in person then from listening to various stories or reading about them. It's going to be hard on him to not being able to do anything about it as it was for me. But he'll understand as I understand."

Tonks wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly. "You should see the clothing I picked for Draco to. I tried to stick to the colors he's used to...but I couldn't help myself on some of the clothes. I went and picked them out today while you were out. His parents will be thrilled."

She wasn't too worried about Melinda holding her own. She was tough. She doubted the Malfoy's would try to hurt her. Not with the position they were in.

Remus made himself comfortable, holding Tonks against him, in the few peaceful minutes they had while Teddy was occupied in his cradle with something shining above him. He nosed lightly against her hair, breathing in slowly - another small gesture that indicated the moon was coming - and sighed.

"...Oh, I'm certain Narcissa won't threaten me with hexes to injure my most personal places when she knows I dressed her son like a Muggle." A lovely dry tone of voice there, but it was followed by a chuckle. "I'm almost curious to see this, but also dreading it." He flicked his fingers against her side, a teasing gesture of a tickle, but he didn't follow up on it. "Who knows, maybe he'll enjoy something rather than silver, green, and black for once."

He really didn't want to discuss that upcoming talk with Draco too much; his curse was always something that terrified him as much as he felt ashamed of it. The war against the Dark Lord hadn't helped anything with the view of werewolves, perhaps made it even worse, but so many of them were now put down or locked away for the rest of their lives. It didn't mean things would improve.

She couldn't help but roll her eyes a bit.

"Mommy, needs to relax and let her son breathe. That controlling atmosphere is what led him to trouble. Speaking of which...I did note that he's starting to show a personality around you. Give him another month or two he'll be able to figure out what he is.

I have to say that I'm impressed with how he handled himself out there and was able to adjust to the type of atmosphere this city brought.

As for the clothing wasn't cheap. I made sure to stick to the big name brands. He might not understand the importance of brand names and the styles one chooses, but once he starts interacting with more Muggles they'll be carefully paying attention to what he dresses and acts like."

With a mischievous smile she started to tickle him. Mainly in an attempt to keep him out of the dark mood that was threatening to stick around.

"I'm grateful now for the extra that Lucius provided. If we're buying- ah!" He made a sound that was decidedly not proper for a man of his age, twisting away from his wife's clever fingers as he laughed. Few people would know he could be quite ticklish, and he went back at her to make up for her attack. Together, they could end up being very silly, but it was the kind of thing he would only do in the privacy of his own home, and only Tonks had been able to draw it out of him.

She made him feel young. Not that he was all that old, but his body was far from the age it should have been.

Remus would spare Draco the family meal by bringing his up to him, giving a knock on the door with his elbow. "Draco? Dinner."

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