Trouble in the Ministry

Disclaimer: I do not own HP and yadda yadda….



Here you guys go and I hope you had a fun week! I promised several of you guys that I would have this chapter out by this weekend so here you go!



Enoy~



OOO



Chapter 3: A Day of Answers



OOO



Lupin groaned as he woke up and stared outside of his window to see the sun still hadn’t risen yet. He plopped his head back down on the pillow ignoring the fact that his mind was reminding him that he had wanted to wake up early today before he finally turned over.



He was going to talk to Arthur today regardless if the redhead wanted to talk or not.



Lupin hadn’t been able to get his mind off of the redhead for the past day and he wanted to talk to Arthur about it. He had been attracted to the man before but never thought that Arthur would be willing to….well to anything with him but after that kiss yesterday.



That kiss made Lupin want more kisses from Arthur.



He sat up glancing at his small calendar and smiled a bit as he saw the circle that told him Teddy would be returning from his trip with Andromeda in a few days. The werewolf forced himself off the bed as he made his way to the shower and turned on the hot water before walking to his closet to grab some robes. After finding some he thought looked like they matched he made his way back into the bathroom and stripped out of his nightwear before jumping into the steaming water.



He hissed as he felt it hit his protesting body and groaned as his right foot became numb as it tried to it wake up. Lupin hit his head on the tile as he closed his eyes and let the water run over him as he planned his day.



He would corner Arthur as soon as he got there.



He would find the redhead and pull him to somewhere private no matter what scene the redhead made, Arthur probably would come quietly though. Lupin grabbed some shampoo as he lathered up his hair. Then what?



He would ask Arthur about the kiss.



Depending on the answer Lupin might get to kiss the redhead again, even if the answer wasn’t to his liking Lupin would probably still kiss the redhead. Maybe he should make sure they talk in Arthur’s office so that he could lock the door behind him so if he pushed the redhead against the wall they wouldn’t be interrupted.



Lupin growled as he felt the bottom of his stomach stir a little and quickly washed the soap out of his hair.



Now was not the time for the wanking in shower.



Lupin held out his hand and accio’d his towel before he started to dry off his body. He would need to get to the ministry before Arthur did so that they could have a proper conversation before they needed to work. Even if they did no talking in the process of their conversation.



Now he was just getting his hopes up.



Lupin dressed quickly before he walked through his still dark house and went through the door. He took a few steps before he was suddenly back at the ministry and he passed through the empty hallways. The lobby was eerily calm and empty as Lupin passed by it before he made his way to the elevators.



It didn’t take long to get to his floor and he walked by a few doors before he opened up the door to Arthur’s office, only to find it empty.



Lupin hadn’t been planning on finding it empty.



He stood there for a few moments before he looked down the hall, there was a light on in the Auror office so Lupin made his way down there just to peak in. He opened the door and opened his mouth to greet whoever was in there but what greeted him was a pale Arthur and a worried looking Robards.



“Remus?” Arthur said in surprise though his voice sounded rough while Robards regarded the werewolf.



“Did you need something Lupin?” Robards seemed to be studying Lupin for a second and Lupin just looked between them before settling on Arthur.



“I wanted to talk to Arthur.” Lupin saw Arthur’s eyes looked confused for a second before they widened and a light blush formed on the redhead’s cheeks.



“I’m afraid Arthur-”



“We should tell him.” Arthur spoke quietly at the Head of the Auror department eyed him before glaring at Lupin.



Lupin just blinked a few times as he tried to figure out what was going on but then Robards seemed to be studying him. Lupin for the most part got along with Robards but they had never been best of mates so Lupin just stood there and waited for their decision.



“Do you trust him?” Robards voice was cold.



“With my life.” Arthur confirmed though he looked away from Lupin when he said it and the werewolf felt his chest flutter for a second at the news.



Lupin walked into the office fully and shut the door behind him before he walked over to the two men. Robards nodded his approval at Arthur’s words before he pointed at a chair next to Arthur for the werewolf to sit in and Lupin obeyed before he looked at the redhead. Robards took a seat himself as if he had been standing all night and he grabbed the paper on top of Neville’s desk to fan himself.



“Arthur was put under the Imperius Curse yesterday and we are trying to figure who did it.” Robards said flatly and Lupin sat up to look at Arthur in surprise.



“I…” Arthur nodded his head to confirm what the man had said. “I didn’t do anything other than walk around and I think that’s why it took me a while to figure out what it was.”



“You just walked around?” Lupin sounded a bit baffled as he tried to think why someone would put Arthur under the curse only to have him walk around.



“That’s the thing.” Robards rubbed his bald head as he thought on. “Why only have him walk around?”



“Maybe he was testing to see if he could do it.” Lupin tried and Arthur looked a little paler at the news. “Or maybe…..”



Robards and Lupin regarded each other for a second and the older man nodded with a frown. “I was thinking that too.”



Arthur looked between them a bit confused; he fiddled with his hands for a bit before he looked up at Lupin who was staring at him with worry. “What did you two think?”



“Well….” Robards started.



“They might have been testing how susceptible you were to the curse.” Lupin finished as he watched Arthur’s face.



The redhead ran his hands through his hair and closed his eyes as he tried to think of why someone would choose him. He didn’t even have a real job right now! He should have resigned last week, the redhead had a feeling that it would have been alright but chickened out in the end, now he knew he should have done it.



But did that mean that someone else would have been under the curse?



Arthur hit his head on his desk as he figured that he was glad it was him and not someone else, they might not have told the Aurors and then there could have been a lot of trouble.



“Arthur I don’t want you to tell anyone else about this, not even your sons.” Robards said sternly and the redhead looked at him in surprise.



“Shouldn’t I tell them so that if they see me walking around oddly they will know what is happening?” Arthur looked over at Lupin for support but the younger man was shaking his head.



“I think we should keep us between us three, and then if someone else knows about it then we might have a suspect.” Lupin nodded as he spoke before looking Arthur in the eye. “I’ll just keep an eye on you for now.”



“And I will keep an eye open for anything.” Robards stated before he looked at the watch on his wrist then sighed. “Maybe you should take the day off Arthur, you’ve been here all night.”



“I want to stay here.” Arthur looked at the man as he stood up. “I don’t think I would be able to get much sleep at home now either, so I might as well get work done.”



“That’s the spirit.” Robards laughed lightly before he opened the door for the two of them. “I think I might tell Ron to not come in and keep Draco away from the ministry for his safety.”



“Thanks.” Arthur nodded as he made his way down the hall. Lupin followed but gave the redhead some room as Arthur opened the door to his office and looked at the younger man. “You want to talk?”



“Yes.” Lupin stated softly as he followed the older man in the room.



So Arthur hadn’t been avoiding him all day yesterday? Lupin didn’t know whether he should be happy that Arthur hadn’t been intentionally avoiding him but as he eyed the thin older man in front of him he felt maybe wasn’t the best time to discuss what had happened between them. He ran a hand through his hair as he watched Arthur lean against his desk and look at Lupin expectantly.



“Maybe this should wait.” Lupin said as he looked over at Arthur.



“I like you.” Arthur said quickly as his face flushed, his eyes looking down at the floor now as he continued. “I could say that the kiss had only meant to be a distraction but it was because you were so close, I wanted to kiss you and it only worked out in helping us escape the muggle cops.”



Lupin blinked at the redhead and felt himself blush as the blush on Arthur’s cheeks grew.



“I’ve liked you for a while now.” Arthur continued bringing his eyes up to look at Lupin.



Lupin took a sharp intake of breath as he stared at the blue eyes in front of him and before he knew what he was doing he grabbed Arthur and pulled the older man into another kiss. He enjoyed how the older man grabbed onto his robes, how Arthur arched into his body as he deepened the kiss. He parted briefly as he licked at Arthur’s lips enjoying the older man’s heat against him.



“We should stop.” Arthur whispered but didn’t let go of his grip on the younger man.



“We should.” Lupin whispered against Arthur’s lips before ran his hands down the older man’s body. He placed another kiss against the man’s chin before he eased his grip on the redhead and took a few steps back. “Well that answers all my questions.”



Arthur looked at him with such a funny expression Lupin couldn’t help but smile as the older man started to laugh. Lupin ran his hand through the older man’s red hair as he laughed a little himself and they both sighed before Arthur looked at Lupin with a bit more seriousness. “I’m worried.”



Lupin rubbed Arthur’s shoulder as he looked at the clock and realized people should be showing up to work. It was understandable for Arthur to be worried after making a discovery that he had been out under a curse but Lupin sighed as he watched the older man lean into him.



Nothing bad was going to happen now that he could watch the redhead.



He wouldn’t let it.



OOO



Draco smiled slightly to himself as he watched the sunrise in the window. He looked back at the task at hand as he felt sweat drip down his neck, Ron was sitting on his lap, the blonde’s cock deep in him, and Draco was rocking his hips to help Ron move.



They had been at it all night and both had lost most of their energy.



“I hate you.” Ron groaned as he started to pump his own erection and he sneered at the sight of the sun.



Draco just smiled as he grabbed onto Ron’s hips and forced the redhead all the way down again causing Ron to hiss as he came in his hand. Draco enjoyed the redhead’s muscles tightening around him as he came inside the redhead again and then flopped back on the pillow behind him. Ron didn’t seem capable of moving for a moment before he finally rolled over so that Draco was now out of him



They both laid there panting as they watched the room get filled with the sunlight from the window. Ron briefly wondered why his window was open before remembering he hadn’t had time to shut it last night before Draco started another round. He wondered if anyone saw them.



“We should take a shower before we head to work.” Draco smirked as Ron groaned at him and turned over to slap the redhead on the butt. “I promise not to try anything in the shower.”



“Are you still horny?” Ron actually looked surprised at the blond and Draco just smiled. “My gawd…..what are you?”



“Not telling.” Draco smirked as he kicked Ron off the bed and heard the redhead hit the floor with a loud thud before he stuck his head over the side to smile at the ginger. “Take a shower or I might really join you.”



Ron just glared up at the blond as he stood slowly and stretched a bit, Draco eyed him with interest but Ron just rolled his eyes and slammed the door shut to the bathroom. Draco just rolled his eyes as he grabbed some pants from the ground and pulled them up so that he could see what the redhead had for food.



He was on his second piece of toast when Ron came into the kitchen and glared at him. Draco just rolled his eyes as he made his way in the shower and started the water. He waited for it to heat up properly before he stripped back down and jumped in, enjoying the warm water on his sore muscles.



Last night had been a good work out.



Draco took his time in the shower before he finally felt like he had taken enough time to make Ron aggravated and turned it off. He grabbed some green robes from the redhead’s closet ignoring how they were too long as he made his way into the living room just as a small paper airplane flew in from the fireplace and Ron caught it in surprise.



They both blinked for a few minutes before Ron opened it and frowned.



“What is it?” Draco tried to look over the redhead shoulder and Ron just crumpled up the plane.



“Something happened and I need to go in.” Ron stated as he grabbed his wand and looked over at the blond. “Do not leave the apartment okay?”



“I can’t come?” Draco fake pouted before he covered a yawn.



“No, lucky you can sleep off last night while I go see what that note was about.” Ron shut the door after him and Draco just shrugged before he looked at the fireplace.



Why didn’t the redhead just floo to the ministry? Draco just sighed again as he thought maybe Ron just preferred apparating before he made his way back to the bed. He saw that Ron must have cleaned it with magic because the bed was made up again and the blond smirked.



A night of nothing but sex.



Draco hummed to himself as he fell on the mattress before he snuggled into the pillow. There was no other way the blond like to spend his nights; it was a bad habit of his that annoyed his parents when he brought people over at night only to sleep all day.



The blond just had trouble sleeping at night.



He groaned as he rolled over and tried to think why Ron would have to be called into the ministry. Had someone else been attacked?



Ron would have told him if it was Snape again.



Draco felt sleep coming as he closed his eyes, he enjoyed the warmth of the sunlight before the blond suddenly jolted up.



Something wasn’t right; his body seemed to be telling him to get up so, with a groan he got to his feet. The blond looked around the room before he walked into the living room.



Nothing seemed weird but being here alone suddenly felt wrong.



He needed to go get Ron.



He opened the door the apartment and froze for a second. What was his problem? He ran his hand through his hair before he took a deep breath and decided to head to the ministry, he could at least make Ron conjure that couch again so he could sleep there if the redhead was going to be there all day but Draco did not want to stay in that apartment.



Something seemed off.



He was about to walk down the first set of stairs when he heard a loud rumbling sound. The building shook as the door to Ron’s apartment flew off from an explosion on the inside. Draco pulled out his wand just as he was thrown back from the force of the explosion and he barely had time to register what spell he had done as he hit the hard ground.



He could feel the heat of the fire around him and tried to keep his eyes open as everything faded black.



OOO



Ron ran through the lobby as he made his way to the elevator. It didn’t take too long to get to the office as it was still pretty early for most people to be showing up but that note had been urgent. It had told him to report to the office immediately and leave Mr. Malfoy in the safety of the apartment, that the ministry was no longer safe.



Ron ran down the hall to enter the Auror office when he saw that almost everyone was there but no one seemed to be some sort of urgency. He blinked a few times at Harry who looked up at him in surprise. “Ron?”



“I thought you had the day off!” Neville laughed as he patted Ron on the back, Ron looked at everyone confused before he pulled the note out of his pocket.



Everyone seemed to be studying him now as he handed it to Harry who gave Ron a worried look before he read it. “But nothings wrong…”



“Why are you here Ronald?” Robards looked at the redhead and the glared. “Where’s Mr. Malfoy?”



Ron’s eyes widened as he looked around the room. He turned then just as he felt the building vibrate lightly, he stared at the floor before he took off, ignoring everyone’s shouts behind him.



He knew Harry would show Robards the note and they would follow.



He made it to the apparating room and quickly found himself in front of his burning apartment building. He took a deep breath as he saw people getting evacuated before he ran in, ignoring the cries of the muggle firemen to stay back, he found his way to the stairs that he always took and made his way around the rubble as he ran up.



He should have known.



He had thought it was weird to receive a memo from the fireplace he hadn’t hooked up to the floo network yet but thought that there had been an emergency.



As he came to the sixth floor he could see debris from the floor above blocking the stairs, he raised his wand to move the debris before he spotted a pale hand. Ron felt his heart sink as he ran over to it. He tried not to flinch as he noticed the hand was in a weird angle. He recognized the long fingers instantly and he shoved the big piece of wood off the fallen form of Draco Malfoy.



Draco was still in the green robes Ron had last seen him in and the blond was clutching onto his wand which meant Draco must have known something like this was going to happen. Ron put his wand to the wound on Draco’s head and muttered a healing charm before he slowly dragged the blond out from the dangerous looking pile of debris.



Draco was still breathing and only seemed to have broken his hand.



Ron pulled him to the fifth floor and laid him out straight as he checked the blond over once more. Draco coughed suddenly at the smoke free air before he opened his eyes slightly to look at Ron.



“Of course I would be the first mission you fail, you totally useless ass.”



Ron smiled down at him. “I haven’t failed yet, you’re still alive.”



“Oh goody.” Draco said before he coughed again, the blond blinked a few times before he was out again and Ron let out a sigh of relief that Draco hadn’t seen his hand.



“Did you find him?” Neville was suddenly beside Ron and Harry was soon after.



“He’s alive, he just talked a few seconds ago.” Ron said as he felt himself start to shake. “It was a trap, a bloody trap!”



Harry squeezed Ron’s shoulder before they were surrounded by other Aurors and medical wizards. Ron was pulled back by his friends before he turned to Robards who looked furious, the redhead couldn’t blame him.



“YOU LEFT HIM!” Robards yelled and Ron felt Harry and Neville get pushed aside by more wizards.



“I was tricked.” Ron whispered harshly as he looked down at the ground.



“FOOLED BY A PIECE OF PAPER!” Robards threw his hands in the air. “First Auror I know to have been fooled by a piece of paper!”



“I’m sorry sir.” Ron looked up at his boss who eyed him. The fury in the older man’s eyes dying down as he looked at the redhead and Ron wondered how pathetic he must have looked that second to actually receive sympathy from this man.



“I want you to go to the hospital with him, only you and these doctors that you see right here are allowed in his room.” Ron looked over the medical staff memorizing their appearances before he looked back at his boss. “I will get in contact with you soon, only listen to me, no one else.”



Ron nodded realizing the man was giving a second chance before he followed the medical staff out of the burning building. He ran over to Draco’s side as they were about to do a group apparition and grabbed onto the blonde’s not broken hand before they went.



OOO



Neville stood in front of his desk as he stared at his wand that was laid in front of him.



The Auror’s had been called into a standstill after the explosion and everyone was slowly being released to go on missions but if you weren’t the ones called then you still had to sit at your desk. Neville knew that the reason for this was because they had decided this morning that the suspect was most likely an Auror as only the Auror’s knew that Draco was staying the night with Ron.



But there was still a suspicion about other offices in the ministry since Ron hadn’t hooked his fireplace up to the floo network yet.



And what had caused that explosion?



Neville sighed as he held out his hand to his wand, making sure that there was about a foot between his hand and the item, he focused his mind and muttered ‘accio’. Neville sighed as his wand sat still and he looked over at his hand. Had he really used wandless magic that day?



Neville thought briefly of Snape, the long haired git was probably torturing some student right now while he had to sit at a desk being bored to death. Neville held out his hand again to try and summon his wand to him before his eyes widened at a sudden thought.



Snape didn’t know about Draco.



Neville stood up suddenly and startled a few Aurors around him before he ran to Robards office and poked his head in. The older man looked up at him a bit startled and Neville cut the chase going straight to the point.



“Can I tell Professor Snape what happened to Draco, just so he knows?” Neville looked at the man nervously as the older rubbed the top of his bald head.



“That is actually a good idea.” The man nodded at Neville. “You have my permission to leave but I want you back as soon as possible.”



Neville just nodded before he ran out of the room, ignoring Harry’s questioning glance as he made it to the apparating room and turned quickly. By the time he made it to the castle he had figured out exactly what he was going to say to the older man, he ran down to the potions classroom to find it empty.



“Where is he?” Neville spun around looking at every corner of the classroom before he looked at his watch. It was too early for lunch so he had to be around here. Neville looked at the door that led to Snape’s office and sighed as he walked up the steps so he could knock on the door.



It flung open almost instantly and Neville saw Snape glaring at him from his desk at the back of the room. Neville walked in trying to remember what he had to say only to find his mind suddenly blank.



“And why are you here?” Snape asked as he eyed the young man.



“There was an explosion.” Neville stated as he stared at the man. Snape gave him a confused glare. “Draco was in it.”



“What?” The man suddenly stood and walked over to Neville grabbing the young man’s robes as he pulled Neville to him. “Where is Draco?”



“There was an explosion this morning, Draco is fine but had to be taken to St. Mungo’s but don’t worry because everything is under control. I won’t bother you anymore and let you finish your lessons, goodbye!” Neville suddenly remembered what he had been planning to say as he shouted it quickly at Snape.



Snape pushed him away and started to walk out of the office when Neville ran after him. “Where are you going?”



“To St. Mungo’s!” Snape yelled over at Neville and the younger man could feel his heart race as he tried to stop the older potions master.



“He isn’t allowed to have any visitors!” Neville tried but Snape just glared at him. The older man turned the corner where he almost bumped into Madame Pomfrey who just sniffed at him.



“Can you tell the headmistress I am leaving to London, my godson has been hospitalized.” Snape said casually and before the woman could ask any questions he was on his way again with Neville running after him.



“Your godson?” Neville tried not to yell in surprise.



“Indeed, now I suggest you escort me to the Head of the Auror office.” Snape made his way out of the school and Neville briefly thought that it looked more like Snape was escorting him to the Auror office.



They made it there shortly and Snape started yelling at Robards the second he saw the old man. Lupin had come in when he heard Snape’s voice and Neville had to take a deep breath as he watched the argument progress.



He looked over to see all the other Auror’s watch with mild interest before Harry smirked at him. Neville gave Harry a rude gesture for being amused at his trouble before he looked over to see Arthur pass the door.



The redhead didn’t even bother looking in as he passed and Neville wondered briefly about what mission Mr. Weasley must be on to not be able to peek in on the yelling.



He was suddenly pulled forward when Snape grabbed him and pull him towards Robards. “How about I make this go with me to the hospital?”



Neville smiled sheepishly as Robards looked at Snape sternly. “No one is allowed in Draco Malfoy’s room until he wakes up and is able to tell us what happened.”



“But-”



“I will tell you nicely only once Severus, let Neville take you to the lobby where you can cool off, then you may go wait in the hospital waiting room until Mr. Malfoy wakes up but until then, and I will not change my mind, no one is allowed in.” Robards gave Snape a threatening look and the potions master let go of Neville’s robes with a sneer.



“Fine.” He said curtly before he turned and left the room. Neville watched him go for a second before he saw Robards glaring at him and realized he was supposed to follow Snape.



At least he didn’t have to sit at his desk all day now.



OOO



Snape growled as he took his seat in the hospital waiting room. Neville sat in the chair right by him, and Snape just sighed into his hands as he sat.



He hated waiting.



He looked over at the young man beside him to see Neville look at him and open his mouth to say something then think better of it. The sandy haired Auror turned away from him then and just sat in his seat quietly.



Snape watched an older witch walked down the hall of the hospital and sighed before he turned to Neville.



At least the young man was a little bit more interesting than the patients here.



Neville had placed his wand in the empty chair next to him and was now holding his hand above it as he stared at it intently. Snape watched the young man stay perfectly still as the Auror tried to summon the wand into his hand but when nothing happened Neville visibly slumped into his seat and looked over at Snape to see the older man watching him. The young man blushed then and tried to look away but Snape sat up a bit and held his hand out.



“Give me your wand hand.” Neville did so almost instantly as he stared at Snape, the blush on his cheeks making him seem younger as he watched the older man. “When you summoned your wand during your duel with Flitwick, how did this hand feel?”



“I-it tingled.” Neville stared at his hand intently as Snape started to massage it. “What are you doing?”



“You’ll see.” Snape said as he continued to rub Neville’s fingers and palm between his two hands. He let his hand drift down to the wrist and felt Neville shiver under the touch as he watched the older man. “Now I want you to try.”



“What?”



“Try and summon your wand to you now.” Snape repeated again as if he was teaching a first year.



Neville did what he was told, he held his hand over his wand and summoned it, the wand flew up instantly and Neville gasped as he caught it. He looked over at the older man with a smile on his face as he showed him the wand.



“I saw it, I was right here.” Snape said dryly as he turned back in his seat, he was about to start planning another lesson when he felt a tug on his shoulder, he looked over at Neville who was staring at him in somewhat amazement.



“How did you do it?” Neville asked though his voice wavered a bit.



“Just got you to relax.” Snape said with a sigh. “You were focusing so hard on making that wand go to you your whole hand was stiff, you just needed to relax so you could focus easier.”



“Can you use wandless magic then?” Neville asked curiously.



“No.” Snape said shortly before he eyed the younger man’s hand that was now holding the wand. “And I won’t hide my amazement in the fact that you can.”



“How did you know then?” Neville tried and Snape actually smirked a bit.



“Lupin told me about it, you know he can use wandless magic right?” Snape turned to Neville who nodded after a second. “I saw him use it in the battle and afterwards I asked him about it. Apparently he doesn’t go around showing it to people on a regular basis because he doesn’t like the attention.”



“I understand that.” Neville said softly as he sat back in his chair, Snape looked at the younger man in mild surprise.



There was a moment of silence between them before Robards suddenly walked into the lobby, he looked over at the two of them and gave them a quick nod before walking down the hall. Snape stood up right away and followed the man knowing that Neville was right behind him. It wasn’t hard to figure out which room was Draco’s as there was yelling and crashes coming from within it.



“HOW DARE YOU LEAVE ME LIKE THAT!” Robards opened the door to reveal Draco strangling Ron on his hospital bed. “YOU BASTARD!”



“How was I supposed to know they were going to blow up my place?” Ron choked before he noticed his audience and was able to get Draco to let go of him. Draco turned to see who Ron was looking at and smirked at the sight of Snape.



“Finally they brought me someone useful.” He sighed as he sat back in his pillows and held out his hand for the older man to take. Snape rolled his eyes as he patted the hand lightly before letting it go.



Ron coughed a bit as he looked at his boss. “Glad you got my message so quick.”



“Yeah, if only I have been a minute later then Mr. Malfoy would have saved you from a mountain of paperwork by killing you.” Robards stated before he looked over at the blond. “Do you remember anything that happened?”



“Other than the big boom?” Draco rolled his eyes and looked over at Snape. “See what I have been dealing with?”



“Answer them Draco.” Snape said coolly as he looked over the young man, as if making sure the hospital staff didn’t miss anything. Draco just snorted before he looked over at Neville.



“If you must know, I didn’t see anything other than his apartment, not that I had really gotten to know any room other than the bedroom.” Draco took that time to pause as he smirked over at Ron who was now blushing crimson, Snape hit him in the arm and the blond looked at him in offense before he continued, “As I was saying, after I had a tiring night-”



“Draco.” Ron and Snape warned at the same time.



“There was nothing different, just the paper airplane from the fireplace and then I suddenly decided to follow Ron to the ministry, glad I did because I probably wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t.” Draco sighed before he looked over at Snape. “Do my parents know?”



“Not yet, I figured you could tell them after the incident was over so that I don’t get an earful.” Snape sighed as he patted Draco on the arm.



He looked up at the Aurors in the room before there was a loud crash outside the door and suddenly Lupin kicked open the door, pointing his wand at the nurse that was chasing after him. When he saw Robards he threw the door shut and locked it before turning on the man.



“I can’t find Arthur!”



“Dad?”



“What happened?” Robards asked stunned at the news and Lupin was running his hands through his hair making him look mad.



“He had been right there, then I turn around for one second and he’s gone, I’ve search the whole building and I can’t find him.”



“Where’s my dad?” Ron tried to get the two men to look at him. Lupin looking away then glancing at Draco, his eyes then traveled to Snape and the two stared at each other for a second before Snape’s eyes widened.



“Imperius?” Snape’s voice made the room go quiet before Lupin suddenly tore out, Robards glared at Snape before looking at Ron and Neville.



“You two are not allowed to leave these men, or you are fired.” He glared at Ron specifically and Neville expected the redhead to run out of the room anyway but instead Robards put his hand on Ron’s shoulder, “It would be stupid for me to ask you not to worry but I will let you know as soon as we find him, your father is a strong man Ronald, have faith in him.”



“I do.” Ron defended before he turned to Draco, he quickly turned away and sat in the chair by the door before Robards left the room, effectively leaving Neville behind with Snape, Draco, and Ron.



Snape turned to Draco then and deciding to change the subject asked Draco with a smirk, “So you had a long night last night did you?”



Ron sputtered and Neville gave the redhead an amused look.



Draco just smirked.



OOO



Kingsley stared at the redhead that was now talking to Hermione in the other room.



All day.



He hadn’t been able to talk to Percy all day because Percy was making it near impossible to get alone with him. The redhead had told him to think about it, Percy had said he would think about it too and yet they still hadn’t talked about it. Did the redhead need more time to think?



He watched as Percy started to laugh at something Hermione had said, at least they seemed to be getting a long better.



He looked at the clock and realized that he wouldn’t have another meeting to go to for another 45 minutes. Taking a deep breath he stood and walked over to the other room before he poked his head out and looked at the two of them, Hermione saw him right away and smiled while Percy looked at him almost expectantly.



“Can I talk to you Percy?” Kingsley asked in a clear voice, not wanting to seem like he need anything.



“Having trouble with your paperwork again?” Hermione smirked before she looked over at Percy, she was about to say something to him when Percy just nodded and walked into the minister’s office, she looked over at Kingsley confused and the big man just shrugged his shoulders at her before he shut the door.



Hermione just rolled her eyes before she went to her desk; she needed to finish this report so she could go home at a decent hour.



Kingsley stood looking at Percy, his back to the door as he regarded the redhead that was now in front of his desk looking at him with a rather blank expression. He ran his hand over his bald head before he took a step towards Percy, the redhead visibly flinched then so Kingsley didn’t move any further.



“I thought about it.” The Minister said softly as he stared at the younger man.



“And?” Percy asked as if trying help the minister keep going, the older man nodded before he continued.



“I like you, I can’t deny it and I wouldn’t want to deny it.” Kingsley took a deep breath. “I want a relationship with you.”



“No.” Percy said it softly so the Minister didn’t think he had heard it right but now Percy was leaning against his desk and the older man couldn’t help but enjoy the sight of the redhead’s body, his small hips and skinny arms that were now crossed in front of his chest. The minister enjoyed how Percy’s neck moved when he swallowed and then those eyes, those amazing blue eyes that were now glaring at him and reminding him that he was in the middle of a conversation. Percy repeated, “No.”



“No?” Kingsley said confused.



“You like me, I get that, we spend so much time together that if you didn’t like me I probably wouldn’t have my job still, but like me in the sense of a relationship? I don’t think you actually do.” Percy pushed his glasses up on his face as he said it and sighed to himself.



Kingsley stared at Percy in shock for a moment before he glared slightly at the smaller man. Where did the redhead get the idea that he knew more about Kingsley Shacklebolt’s feelings than Kingsley Shacklebolt? Percy seemed to sense what the minister was about to say when he put his hands on his hips.



“What do you like about me then?” Percy asked and the minister felt a slight challenge in his voice.



Well if he wanted to be like that.



“I like everything about you.” The minister strained a smile as he ignored Percy’s eye roll. “I like how organized you are, how you always seem to notice every little detail in a report.”



“And that is why I am good at my job.” Percy placed his hands on the desk as he leaned back and felt his cheeks burn lightly. “I am asking you why you like me.”



“Why I like you?” Kingsley walked over to Percy so that he was standing in front of the younger man. Percy didn’t move from his spot but just stared at the man in front of him with a blank expression. Kingsley smirked as he put his hand softly on the top of Percy’s head. “I like your red hair.”



“My whole family has red hair.” Percy countered before Kingsley moved his hand to lightly touch the younger man’s cheek.



“I like way you chew on the back of those wooden quills you bought.” Percy blushed at this. “I like the way you intentionally give Hermione the paperwork you don’t want to deal with even though you know you are going to look at it after she’s done to make sure she didn’t miss anything, and she never does.”



“She might.” Percy muttered as a thumb lightly stroked his cheek.



“I like how annoyed you get when I don’t finish my work on time and how much of a prat you can be if things don’t work out exactly how you plan.” Kingsley ran his hand from the cheek to the back of Percy’s neck where he could feel how warm the younger man had grown, Percy just staring up at him in mild shock. “I like walking in first thing in the morning to see you waiting for me, how you always reorganize my desk even though you never asked me for permission.”



“I didn’t-”



“I love your eyes.” Kingsley interrupted and smiled when Percy looked away from him then, he let go of the younger man’s neck and gently pulled his chin back so that they were looking at each other. “I love the way you blush when I catch you off guard with something.”



Kingsley grazed his fingers softly against the front of Percy’s neck, feeling the adam’s apple bob when the younger man swallowed and enjoying the feel of the redhead shiver against his finger tips. He watched as the younger man’s knuckles went white as Percy squeezed the desk and he leaned forward, the older man running his hand lightly across Percy’s shoulder and down the younger man’s arm.



“Now I want to know what you think.” Kingsley said and he could feel Percy tense and he let his hand drop to the desk as he leaned over the smaller man.



“How I think?” Percy’s voice cracked a bit as Kingsley other hand flattened on the desk so that now he was stuck between the minister and the minister’s desk.



Kingsley felt nervous as he watched Percy look down for a second. He hoped that he wasn’t scaring Percy but then when the redhead looked back up at him he felt a smirk rise on his lips. The redhead placed his hands on the minister’s shoulders and glared at the older man.



“I don’t want to be the reason people doubt your ability as a minister.”



Kingsley blinked before he felt his laughter escape as he felt the hands push him a little bit. He leaned against the hands so that he was a little closer to the younger man before he laughed again. “I don’t think people will doubt my ability to be the minister just because I like you.”



“They might if they see you’re trying to get with a wizard less than half your age.” Percy retorted and Kingsley had to nod at that.



“It might not be widely received but I’m still willing to-”



“I’m not.” Percy stated, his voice low and Kingsley found himself gripping the desk. “Minister I really respect you-”



“Admit that you like me.” Kingsley interrupted before he stood up straight and grabbed Percy’s hands. “Tell me how you feel about me.”



“Feel?” Percy stared at the minister’s chest as he tried not to focus on the dark hands holding his pale ones tightly.



“If you don’t feel anything for me at all then say so now.” Kingsley stated sternly and Percy looked up at him, the redhead frowned and opened his mouth to say something but as he stared at the older man he shut his mouth and turned away.



Kingsley leaned forward to brush his lips against Percy’s forehead and he felt Percy gasp at the contact. “Tell me that you like me.” Kingsley whispered against the freckled skin before he moved down and placed a gentle kiss against Percy’s nose.



“No.” Percy whispered before Kingsley placed a kiss on his cheek.



“I like you so much Percy.” Kingsley tried again as he kissed the other cheek before he pulled away and looked at the flushed man he was holding onto. “Please.”



Percy gripped on the older man’s robes as he pulled himself up so that their lips were barely touching, the redhead smirked a bit as he stared into the brown eyes that were regarding him. “No.”



Kingsley closed the distance between them, enjoying how Percy was pressing into him, how the redhead open his mouth willing as the older man deepened the kiss. He could taste the tea the redhead had been drinking earlier that day and moaned into it before he pulled away looked at those blue eyes that had a shine in them as they regarded him.



“I think we need to get back to work.” Percy smirked before he placed another kiss on Kingsley’s lips and then pulled away from the other man.



Kingsley was about to pull him into another kiss when the door to the room opened up to reveal Hermione. Percy tripped at that moment as if he just realized where they really were and looked up at the brunette that was staring at him oddly.



“You okay Percy?” Hermione asked before her eyes widened. “Did you know Ron’s apartment blew up?”



OOO



Percy was on his feet in a second before he ran over to the smaller woman. “WHAT?”



“He’s okay…..” Lupin’s voice echoed into the room and Percy looked up at the graying man and went over to him quickly.



“What happened?”



“He wasn’t in the apartment.” Lupin stated quickly as he took a deep breath. Percy looked at the older man and realized that Lupin looked like he had been running around the ministry; he was sweating and trying to catch his breath before he turned to Percy again. “Have you seen your father?”



“No, but when did the explosion happen?” Percy tried to get more information.



“It happened this morning-”



“And no one told us!” Percy almost yelled as he glared at the older man, Lupin however just glared back.



“Listen, he is fine, he was at the ministry when it happened, I am looking for your father, have you seen him?” Lupin said through strained teeth as he glared at the redhead in front of him.



“No.” Percy said again and Lupin left before Percy could ask anymore questions. The redhead growled as he turned to look at Hermione and Kingsley who were watching him in surprise.



“I’m going to go find out more, maybe you should sit down Percy.” Hermione pulled a chair up for the other man before she looked at the minister and motioned to Percy.



“Ron’s fine so just take a seat Percy.” The minister’s deep voice brought Percy back from his thoughts before he plopped down ungracefully in the chair and sighed into his hands. Hermione was gone in the next second and the redhead looked up at the older man who was now watching him slightly worried.



“Who would blow up his apartment?” Percy tried and the minister just shrugged before he went behind Percy’s chair and started to massage the younger man’s shoulders.



“Don’t worry about it.” Kingsley said softly as he rolled the chair into his office. “Lupin said he was fine.”



“You’re right.” Percy sighed into the hands before he looked up at the older man, he was about to say something before there were lips on his and he just glared at the older man as Kingsley pulled away.



“Couldn’t help it.” Kingsley defended before he was suddenly pulled down into another kiss and he smirked into it before he pulled up again and rolled Percy’s chair to beside his desk. “We still have work to do.”



“You’re right.” Percy nodded as he pushed his glasses up and looked at the man’s desk that was still covered in papers. “You still haven’t finished this?”



Kingsley just gave a sheepish grin before they started on the work, Percy making a stack of things by importance. The minister pretended not to notice how most of Hermione’s work was put in the least important stack. Percy had gotten most of the work organized before the redhead looked up and bit his lip.



“Hermione is taking a while.”



“She’ll be here in a moment; she’s just probably making sure she has all the information.” Kingsley sighed before he looked up and noticed bright red hair enter the room before his office. “Arthur?”



Percy looked up then and smiled at his father. He got up and ran over to the older man and laughed as he saw his dad holding a tray with tea and biscuits. “You brought tea?”



“For the minister.” Arthur stated as he looked at Percy.



Percy blinked at his father for a few seconds before he saw his dad start shaking terribly, he grabbed the tray from his dad and placed it on Hermione’s desk before he grabbed his dad’s arms. “You okay dad?”



Arthur didn’t say anything as he stared at his son, Percy realized how tired his dad looked at that second. His father’s skin was pale and there were bags under the older man’s eyes, even his blue eyes seemed a bit dull as he stared at this son and Percy patted his dad on the shoulder.



“Don’t worry dad, I’ll give the minister his tea. You go home and get some sleep okay.” He pushed his dad out of the office as the still trembling man turned and walked down the hall. He bit his lip as he watch his father go and made a mental note to go spend the afternoon with the man to make sure he was getting proper sleep before he turned around and grabbed the tray, bringing it into the minister’s office.



“Your father okay?” Kingsley asked and Percy just sighed.



“I think he has been working too much, I might try and convince him to go on a vacation.” Percy placed the tray on the desk and started to pour the tea.



Kingsley sat back and watched Percy’s fingers work around the glass before he noticed Percy smirking at him.



“You like the way I pour tea then?” Percy sounded so confident Kingsley couldn’t help but smirk.



“You have no idea.” Kingsley whispered as he took the cup and then frowned as he looked at the younger man. “You aren’t going to taste it?”



“You think my dad poisoned it?” Percy smirked as he took the cup back and brought it to his lips. “Better safe than sorry I suppose.”



Kingsley just smiled as he watched the redhead take a drink from the cup.



OOO



Arthur felt like there was something tugging him down the hallway, he tried to move in the opposite direction, he needed to run back to his son.



He needed to warn Percy.



His whole body managed to stop in the hallway before he suddenly felt lightness over take him. He threw himself into the wall and trembled as he fell down it, he gasped as his head started to scream at him.



“Arthur!” He looked up, he could feel tears run down his face as he looked at the worried form of Lupin running up to him. “What happened?”



“My son.” Arthur choked as he tried to move but his whole body was protesting before he looked at Lupin pleadingly. “The minister!”



Lupin’s eyes widened before he stood and ran, Arthur breaking down as he was left alone again but grateful that Lupin was now heading to his son. He felt his body suddenly relax, his muscles realizing that he was no longer fighting and was free of the curse.



The werewolf ran through the hall, almost not believing he had energy left in him. He turned into the minister’s office and ran through the doors before his eyes widened at the sight before him.



The minister was holding onto the limp body of Percy Weasley. Kingsley saw Lupin and tried to say something but the werewolf was beside him in a second, checking Percy’s pulse to see it was still there.



“The tea….the tea Arthur gave us.” The minister held onto Percy’s body tightly as he looked at the younger man in front of him for answers.



“He was under the Imperius Curse.” Lupin stated quietly before people started to run into the office. He could see Arthur standing at the door staring at his son, tears still streaming down the other man’s cheeks before Robards started yelling at some of the Aurors to take Percy to St. Mungo’s.



Everything was happening so fast, Arthur stared outside in the hallway as they put Percy in the room with Draco Malfoy. Ron had started yelling for information before the other redhead was shoved into the hall for punching Williamson when the Auror tried to calm him down.



Kingsley refused to leave Percy’s side and no one dared to mess with him as he stood beside the bed. The doctors had started to prepare an antidote for the poison when Snape got involved, he yelled at them for being incompetent.



“It’s the Draught of Living Death!” The man yelled as he started to swear at the people in the room. “Everyone out!”



Arthur watched as the Aurors went back to the ministry, Ron was standing beside him and rocking on his heels and Arthur couldn’t bring himself to look his youngest son in the eyes as he stared at the door to the room. Robards came out a few minutes later and stared at Arthur.



“Snape was right; it was the Draught of Living Death.” Arthur closed his eyes before he felt his knees give out and he slid to the floor. He had thought for sure that he had just killed his son.



Neville popped his head out of the door and looked at the scene in the hall, he looked at Ron before looking at Robards and whispering lightly. “Snape wants me to go get the ingredients for the Wiggenweld Potion.”



Robards just nodded and Neville left quickly after. Ron pulled his father up into a hug as he rocked the older man and Arthur just held onto his son tighter whispering that it was all his fault.



“It’s not your fault dad.” Ron whispered back before he looked at Robards who was staring at the two of them sadly.



“I’m sorry Arthur, but your son is going to be alright.” The head Auror then turned to go into the room and Lupin poked his head out of the door and saw the two redheads on the floor.



“Would you two like to come in now?” Lupin asked softly and Ron helped his father to his feet before they went into the hospital room. Draco was sitting there looking at a book Snape must have given him and looked over at the person in the bed next to his when he saw Ron enter.



Kingsley was sitting in a chair next to the bed and when he saw Arthur he immediately stood offering the chair to the older man. Arthur took it gratefully as Ron stood beside him, the redhead looked over at Draco who was staring at him as if wanting to say something but not thinking the moment was right. Lupin placed his hand on Arthur’s shoulder and Arthur covered it with his own as he watched his son sleep on the bed. Kingsley just watched Percy’s lifeless corpse with a frown on his face before he nodded at Snape who left the room.



Arthur sighed as he closed his eyes trying to think of who he had seen in the hallway when he had gotten under the curse again but he could only remember the empty hall when Lupin had left him to go in the Auror office.



He had only seen the Auror office.



Arthur’s eyes widened before he turned to Lupin and then to Kingsley.



“It was an Auror.”



OOO



Dun Dun Dun!



So what did you guys thinks? Draco and Percy are in the hospital, but on a happy note Kingsley and Percy are together….even if it wasn’t for very long. And same with Arthur and Lupin…yay….haha



This was actually a really fun chapter to write! And there are only two more chapters left!! I really appreciate the awesome reviews I’ve gotten for this story, it really makes want to write more and more for you guys! I’m even working on a sequel to this story which will be called ‘Trouble in Paradise’ that takes place half a year after this one ends. So if you guys really enjoy this story, keep an eye open for the sequel!



Haha why I am talking about that when I haven’t even finished this story?



Do you have any guess about who is behind this?



Hope you guys have a great week and hope you enjoyed the most recent chapter!



Please Review!