It's getting late to give you up...
Draco walked assuredly into his office and leaned against his desk. He didn't have to wait long before Blaise and Theo rushed in, both of them wearing concerned looks on their faces. He waved his wand, making sure that the door was shut, locked and that no one would overhear what they were about to discuss.
"So, what's happening? Is it true?" Blaise asked. Theo looked at him and then back at Draco, handing a file over to Draco.
Before getting back in, Draco had asked Theo to obtain the formal complaint against Liv. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to get it done but figured Theo would have more pull than Blaise. And thankfully he had come through.
"Someone set her up," Draco said calmly after he looked through the documents.
Unfortunately, the names had been redacted, but it wouldn't be that difficult to find out who was involved with the way people around here talked. Whoever had done it was thorough and patient, waiting for the right moment to act. He would have to be as well, though time was not on his side. But he had enough to at least put something into motion. Already he could see blaring mistakes that would help him make a case.
Now that he had a plan, it was infinitely easier to stay focused.
"Someone planted Night Heather in her office," Draco said, looking back down at the documents as he walked around his desk and sat down.
Even though he was calm and collected, he couldn't help the anger that coursed through him. Though he quickly tempered it with thoughts of how he might make said person suffer once he found out who it was.
"I need you two to help me find out who did this," he said, looking from Blaise to Theo.
"Of course, anything to help, but isn't the Ministry already looking into this?" Theo asked. "Surely, they wouldn't sack her without, at the least, investigating the claims. I glanced through the file and it should be easy enough to disprove them."
"For some reason, they are keen to believe the allegations, or rather the person who made them. Liv said White wouldn't even listen to her when she tried to explain," he replied. "So we're going to find out who is behind this and then expose them."
"Okay," Theo said, a look of determination coming over his face. "I admit, like helping her more than trying to take her down."
A small smile crept over Draco's face, though it fell when he thought back to their argument.
Even if he did this, he wasn't sure that it would work. That Liv would believe him and take him back.
"She's not doing so well, is she?" Blaise said. Draco looked up at him, surprised to see the normally smarmy man genuinely upset.
"We had an argument. When I thought perhaps she had gotten the Night Heather illegally for my research, I tried to apologize, saying it was my fault. She took that as an admission of guilt for everything," he said. "That's when I found out that she hadn't actually gotten it and rather they found it planted in her office." He frowned. "I'm not sure if she believes me, but that's why I'm going to do everything I can to clear her name. She thinks she's about to be hauled into Azkaban as it is."
A grin suddenly appeared on Blaise's face as he looked at Theo and then back at Draco.
"Is there anything else you'd care to share with us?" he asked. Draco looked at him and then sighed.
"We're together. Or... we were. I'm not sure where we stand at the moment, but hopefully... this will work and... things will get better," Draco said.
"Happy to see you finally admitted your feelings to yourself. And her," Theo said. Draco smiled faintly.
"I told her I loved her... the other night," he said softly. "She said she loved me too."
"Fucking hell, mate," Blaise said, his eyes wide. "This certainly is more serious than I thought it was."
Draco nodded and looked back down at the file.
"Right, well. Best get to it. I need to go over these documents and then meet with White," he said, settling in.
"What are you going to do, Draco?" Blaise asked.
"What needs to be done," Draco said, still not looking at his friends. When neither responded, he looked up at them, finding Blaise looked stunned while Theo had a small smile on his face. "Are you two just going to stand there all day and stare at me?"
"Course not," Theo said, already starting towards the door, dragging Blaise with him. "Good luck."
"Thanks... I'm going to need it."
There was no fear or worry in Draco as he made his way to White's office. Not for himself, anyway. Now that his mind was made up and he knew what needed to be done, he didn't care what happened to him. But he worried that it wouldn't be enough to get White to at least open an investigation and consider at least allowing Liv back until they got to the bottom of things.
But he knew that even if they didn't open an inquiry, he wouldn't stop until the truth of the matter came out. And he was more than certain that Liv would get a good solicitor. Hell, even a bad one would make easy work of getting the charges thrown out. Whoever had done this had rushed it at the last minute, making a mess of things. Whoever it was had latched on to her random day off. And hadn't counted on Draco Malfoy looking into it.
He cleared his throat as he stopped in front of White's office, squared his shoulders and then walked in, a serious look on his face as he glanced at the assistant.
"I need to see White. Now," he said sternly. The man hopped up from his chair, eyes wide as he rushed over to White's inner office.
Draco couldn't help as a small bit of pride at the reaction ran through him. While he had enjoyed intimidating people before for all the wrong reasons, he found there was far more pleasure in using his skills to help someone. Specifically someone he loved.
"Please, come in, Draco," White boomed as he stepped to the doorway. The assistant skittered back to his desk. "I was just about to call you in!"
"Thank you, sir," Draco said, following him into his large office. White took a seat behind his desk and motioned for Draco to do the same, though he found he had too much energy coursing through him to do so.
Besides, he felt he might drive his point in better if he remained standing.
"Suppose you heard the nasty business with Ms. De Loughrey," White said.
"I did," Draco replied shortly.
"Just can't understand it. She had such glowing reviews," White replied, seeming slightly dumbfounded. "Though I suppose ambition can blind us all." He looked to Draco, now smiling. "No matter, now that she's gone, we'll need someone to run the department. You were our second choice, so it's only natural that it should go to you. Watkins was a staunch advocate for you."
"Thank you, sir, but there is something more pressing that I am here to discuss," Draco said, finding it easy to ignore the offer. Confusion came over White's face, but he motioned for Draco to continue. "I have come to inform you that all the allegations against Ms. De Loughrey are false and to ask that you reinstate her and launch a formal inquiry into the matter."
White seemed thunderstruck, as though the last thing he expected was Draco Malfoy to defend Liv.
"Forgive me, but... I was under the impression that you were not happy with her," White said.
"I was for a time, but that is no longer the case. I think we can both agree that she has an exemplary record and quite frankly, I am shocked that you would dismiss her so easily without a proper investigation," Draco said, frowning.
"We have rather strong evidence," White said. "And to be honest, I cannot just launch an inquiry without it. So unless you've got something to disprove any of it, then I must ask you to return to your department."
Draco stepped forward and threw the file on White's desk. While he had to move quickly, it hadn't taken him all that long to pull together documents disputing the claim.
Not to mention, one thing that he and Liv had in common was that they kept meticulous notes and followed procedure. All it had taken was a short trip to the regulations department to get the necessary correspondence with her father and import records.
"As you can see, Ms. De Loughrey had just received word that she would be able to obtain a small amount of Night Heather - safely and legally - through her father. He was already filing the paperwork with the Ministry of Magic. So, there was no need for her to obtain it illegally," Draco said.
White looked down at the parchment and then back up at Draco.
"Also, in regards to her sudden departure from the office yesterday and the other so-called date she was allegedly obtaining the substance in question, I know for a fact that she was not out doing anything nefarious," he continued.
"And how is it you know all this?" White asked, not bothering to look down at the file again as a curious look came into his eyes.
"Because I was with her," Draco said calmly. White frowned. "I know that she wasn't meeting with the dealer because we were together at her residence." He then took a deep breath, never breaking eye contact with White. "I admit at first it was purely for research purposes, but yesterday... it was personal. I am the person within the department that she is involved with."
White's eyebrows rose in surprise as he sat back in his chair.
"We met prior to her starting with the department, though once we both realized we would be working together, we refrained from everything save a professional relationship. However, as of the other night, the status of our relationship changed," he continued. "As such, I have submitted my resignation in the file as well."
White's eyes widened as he looked back down, shifting through the papers until he came to the last one. He then looked back up at Draco.
"As it is against company policy and I wish to maintain my personal relationship with Ms. De Loughrey as well as our research, I will be leaving the Potions Research Department effective immediately," Draco said calmly. "All I ask is that you consider the information I have provided you and reinstate Ms. De Loughrey. She is what this department needs to take it forward into the future."
Draco took another deep breath and waited, watching as White looked through the documents again, though he glanced at Draco several times. Finally, the man sighed and nodded.
"You have been rather thorough," he said. "Is there nothing I can do to convince you to stay?"
"No, sir, there is none," Draco said firmly.
"Very well... I shall... I will look into this. I thank you for bringing it to my attention," White said, appearing a bit overwhelmed.
"I will be sending more information as I get it though I highly recommend an investigation into whoever set her up as they were the ones who actually obtained the Night Heather illegally," Draco said smoothly before turning and walking out of White's office.
He wasn't completely sure how he would feel once he had gone through with it, but he found that he was neither sad nor upset. Nor did he feel as though he had lost anything. He had spent years working to build up the research department. Years thinking that the only thing he wanted in life was to someday run it.
But in the last few weeks, Draco realized that the department didn't need him. And he didn't need it. A lightness filled his chest as a bubble of excitement built inside him. He still worried about how things would go with Liv, but at least one thing was certain.
Draco was eager to strike out on his own. Finally.
Draco found himself humming as he methodically and carefully packed up his things in his office. Merlin, he was certainly grateful for magic in times like this, otherwise he'd spend the entire day at it. But he was eager to get it done so he could take his things home and then rush over to Liv's.
He had put together and then ripped apart several speeches in his mind already, none of them seeming quite right. But hopefully before he actually got there he would put something together.
"So, it's true."
Draco turned, seeing a forlorn Bones standing in his doorway, looking around in shock.
"Why?" she asked, finally meeting his eyes.
While he figured news of his resignation would come as a shock to most, he hadn't expected anyone would be particularly upset by it. Even Blaise had been happy for him, glad to see him take his advice and strike out on his own.
"I beg your pardon?" he asked, confused.
"Why are you leaving?" Bones asked sternly, now frowning at him.
"Because some things are more important than a title," Draco said dryly, turning back to his work.
"No, but... you wanted that position," Bones said firmly.
"Wanted being the operative word there, Bones. I no longer want it," Draco said, not looking at her.
"It was meant to be yours," she pushed. "You were meant to lead this department."
"It was never mine, as much as I had wanted to think that in the past," Draco replied. "And they chose the better person suited for the job."
"BUT IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE YOU!"
Draco jumped, turning to look at Bones in shock. He had never heard her raise her voice in the years they had worked together. She always seemed so quiet and meek, barely speaking to him. Always in the background. Which is why he found it rather odd that she was on the verge of a breakdown in his office over him leaving the Ministry.
"What is going on?" he asked.
Bones looked at the ground, wringing her hands together. It looked as though she was murmuring to herself. She then looked up at him, her jaw clenched slightly.
"I did this for you. So you could finally take the position that should have been yours all along," she said, her voice and demeanor suddenly calm and much colder than he ever thought possible.
Draco's mouth dropped open in shock. There was no way Bones - a meek little Hufflepuff - could come up with and then carry out a plot like this.
"I had to get rid of her," Bones said. "She was ruining everything. All your hard work - all of everyone's hard work!"
"But... how?" Draco asked.
"It wasn't that hard. Put enough doubt into the right person's mind and then when you present them with evidence regardless of whether it's real, and they'll believe anything. Helps when one has a sturdy reputation, even if it's a bit droll," Bones said. "White was really rather quick to believe reliable Susan Bones."
"But none of it is true," Draco shouted, now scowling at her. "You tried to ruin the reputation of one of the greatest minds in potions!" Bones rolled her eyes.
"She's not that good and I'm so sick of everyone thinking that she'll be the next big thing. You are far better, Draco. And someday I will be too," Bones said. Draco stared at her a few moments, still trying to wrap his head around everything.
Around the fact that Susan Bones was capable of something like this.
"Where did you get the Night Heather?" he asked.
"My cousin has a license to grow it. Stole a bit from him last time I went to visit," she said.
"But... why?" he asked, not sure he wanted to know.
"She's been a menace since she started here! She tossed out my project like trash! Other's too! What I can't understand is why you're not happy about this," Bones said. "She was holding you back more than the rest of us."
"She wasn't," Draco said. "Which if you weren't so fucking petty and blind, you'd see that everything she's done has been to make you better. Make all of us better!" Bones laughed dryly.
"Well it doesn't matter now. She's gone," she said. "Just need to get it through your thick skull that resigning is a mistake." Draco narrowed his eyes at her a moment as he clenched his wand.
He wanted to hex her. Do all manner of horrible things. But then he thought of Liv. Of everything he had been through to get to this point. And suddenly, all the anger flowed out of him. His scowl softened as he began to pity Bones.
"I'm afraid you may be wrong there," Draco said, waving his wand and starting another box. Bones stared at him in confusion. "While I was meeting with White, I turned over evidence that disproves the accusations."
"But how would you-"
She stopped speaking as her eyes widened slightly. Draco chuckled as he continued packing.
"You were thorough, but not enough. Really should have made sure that all those nights Liv was supposedly alone that she actually was alone," he replied. "You're definitely no Slytherin in that regard." Bones mouth fell open as she gaped at him. "Oh, and the so-called lover she had in the department? It's me. That's how I knew all the claims were rubbish. That's part of the reason, I'm leaving, actually. Pesky little policy about not dating the boss."
"But... but I thought it was just one night," Bones said. Draco's eyebrows rose. How the hell did Bones know about that? "I was there you know. At the bar. I saw you with her, but I didn't know at the time who she was... But then you two were always fighting at the office. I thought I was helping you."
"I suppose in a way you have," Draco said thoughtfully. "It forced me to realize what's truly important to me."
Bones just blinked in confusion. Draco felt even more sorry for her. And found he didn't want revenge. Perhaps Liv would, though part of him doubted that as well.
"Look, want my advice? Use all that energy and time on something that makes you happy, Bones," Draco said softly. She only stared blankly at him. "I don't need any help in that regard."
He then looked around his office and packed up the last of his things, quickly shrinking everything down so that it would fit into his pockets. It was a bit funny how quickly he had managed to back up years of work. When he looked up, Bone was still standing there.
"Good-bye, Bones," he said with a smile before he walked out.
One part of the problem was fixed. Now it was time for Draco to focus on the other - getting Liv back.