P is for Persuasion timestamp for mordyn4
May. 12th, 2007 01:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
moonlite_trystwho requested something from the P is for Persuasion arc, originally written for ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
hd_365. This fic follows events in So Many Questions by my co-conspirator ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
profmckitten and my follow up: A Bird in the Hand Is Worth Two in the Bush. Hope you like it mordyn4.
Title: The Plot Thickens
Author:lusiology
Pairing: HP/DM
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 1371
Genre: Mystery
Disclaimer No ownership, no money
Beta:
Prompt Timestamp formordyn4
Summary In which there is bad news from Aegis, a cloak and dagger meeting, and Draco makes the aquaintance of an unusual type of ferret.
The Plot Thickens, PG-13, 1371 words.
It had taken several moments for Harry to locate Kingsley and Tonks at the rear of the softly lit pub, blending effortlessly into the early evening crowd in their Muggle clothes. Once he and Draco had stepped into the bubble of a Privacy Charm, Kingsley pushed out a chair from under the table with his foot, indicating that they should sit down. He then nodded toward two untouched pints of beer on the table. “Tonks took the liberty of ordering for you, while we were waiting.” Harry and Draco glanced at each other, and sat opposite the other two Aurors.
“What’s… this exactly?” said Draco, frowning at the pint of beer now in his hand.
"Fursty Ferret Ale," replied Tonks from across the table they were seated at, valiantly trying to keep a straight face whilst ignoring the rather juvenile sniggering from Harry and Kingsley. “It’s what Muggles call Real Ale, because of the traditional brewing process.”
Draco’s eyes narrowed. He ignored Harry and Kingsley, now mentally christened Tweedledum and Tweedledee, choosing to fix the weight of his icy glare on Tonks. “Are you taking the piss, cousin?”
Tonks drew herself up on her chair and replied, “As if I would do such a thing, cousin,” managing to sound indignant at the slur against her character. “These two hyenas on the other hand…” she trailed off, nodding toward Harry and Kingsley.
Draco snorted inelegantly. “Oh, do grow up, you two. Anyone would think we were back at Hogwarts.”
Clearly, this was the wrong thing to say, because Harry choked on his ale and slumped against a smirking Kingsley, fighting for breath. He finally gasped, ”Ma… Mad-Eye Moody,” before dissolving into silent laughter.
Draco rolled his eyes and sighed. He raised the glass gingerly to his nose and sniffed delicately, seeking confirmation that the golden brew was indeed ale and not what he strongly suspected.
Kingsley managed to lose the smirk and look serious for a moment. “Just try it. You might atually like it,” he said. “When I asked you both to meet us here it was for more important matters, rather than to offend your refined sensibilities, Draco.”
Here was a rather cosy pub with beautiful etched glass windows called The Ship and Shovell, tucked away down Craven Passage, just off The Strand. Despite being close to the Ministry, Harry had never visited this particular area or establishment before. Tonks, it seemed, with her fondness for Muggle Real Ale, was familiar with a great many establishments in out of the way corners of London.
Harry and Draco took a sip of their pints. “Mmmm, not bad,” said Harry, after licking some foam off his lips. “Draco?” Draco chose to ignore him, continuing to sip his pint in silence for the moment.
“Ah, here’s Aegis now,” said Tonks brightly, raising her hand so the group could be seen from across the pub. Everyone shuffled around the table to make more room for Aegis to sit down.
“Malfoy, Potter,” he said, nodding at each man by way of a greeting. “Glad you two boys could make it at such short notice.”
Draco placed his pint back on the table, and leaned back on his chair, feeling the presence of the Privacy Charm against his back. “I’m assuming that the unusual venue has to do with our home security, or rather the apparent lack of it.”
Aegis nodded. “It’s definitely not safe to talk about this at the Ministry. We’re dealing with someone who clearly knows what they are doing when it comes to avoiding detection.”
“In what way?” asked Harry cautiously, knowing full well he would not like the answer.
“Following your recent discovery of the Auris and the footprint traces in your flat, I cast a similar Revealing Charm on your security file to see if it was possible to pin down any magical trace of the wizard who accessed the confidential information regarding your wards.” Aegis paused, taking a long drink of his beer. Four pairs of eyes watched him avidly, waiting for more information.
“And?” Draco finally snapped, when the tension was getting too much to bear.
“And the whole room was filled with hundreds of pulsating threads, criss-crossing in all directions, colour and light everywhere. I couldn’t make sense of them – where they started or stopped, then I realized they were Static, a very sophisticated form of Static I’ve never seen before.”
“Really,” Kingsley said, flicking a worried glance toward Tonks. “And you couldn’t cut through it to pick up an echo?”
Aegis shook his head. “No. Not even with file right in front of me. Like I said, very sophisticated Static. Whoever our insider is working for, he or she is clearly very powerful.”
“Wait a minute,” said Harry, “I’m confused. You said static, is that right?” Aegis nodded. “But isn’t that a form of natural electricity? Couldn’t we drain the charge and then pick up the trace?”
“Not in this case. Static is created by a spell. It interferes with a wand’s ability to pick up a wizard’s magical signature. It’s like… fog, noise; it stops you from seeing a clear image.”
“That’s disappointing news,” said Tonks looking at the pensive faces around the table. “They seemed to have planned for every contingency, but we can’t give up. Whoever is behind ‘P’, the Auris, the Muggle deaths and thr recent attempt on your lives,” she inclined her head toward Harry and Draco, "Is obviously up to more than making and marketing a potent sex aid for wizards to use on Muggles.”
“I agree. The evidence suggests that we are dealing with a group of very powerful people who will stop at nothing to achieve their objective; whatever that may be.”
The group lapsed into brooding silence once more, each lost in their own thoughts, until Draco was heard to murmur, “Filthy Muggles.”
Harry looked up. “Who’s rattled your cage?”
“Look,” Draco replied holding his glass in the air, “the damn thing is covered in greasy finger prints. The bloody glass is disgraceful." He leant over to murmur in Harry's ear, "And stop with the ferret references, or you'll be getting yours later."
Harry turned and smirked slightly at Draco. "Can't wait."
"Get your mind out of the gutter, Potter. You can forget that for a while."
Tonks' voice cut in. “Cast a cleaning charm on it. If you’re careful no one will notice,”
“Why the bloody hell should I? I’m not the pub’s house elf!” Draco snapped, as he slammed the glass on the table and folded his arms, settling back on his chair once again for a good sulk, except the effect was rather spoilt by Harry grasping the glass and exclaiming, “That’s it! That’s it!”
Draco eyed Tonks. “Beelzebub’s beard. He’s pissed already. That’s down to you and your fucking, fighting ferrets.”
“It's one Ferret, and it's Fursty.”
“Fighting ferrets, Fursty Ferret, whatever.” Draco waved a hand at her in irritation. “The point is…”
“No. No. I’m not pissed, and you’re missing the point,” Harry insisted. “It’s the finger prints. I bet he, or she, has left finger prints on the file.”
“I’m not following you, Harry,” said Aegis slowly.
“It’s one of the ways Muggles solve crimes. They dust for fingerprints with a fine powder. Every human has finger prints, and every finger print is unique. If finger prints are present, the powder will cling to the grease left by the skin. I bet they haven’t thought of that!” he said triumphantly.
“You’re saying that despite all the magic surrounding the file and its contents, a dusting of some sort of powder over the file’s cover could be all we need to lead to our mole,” said Tonks.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“Merlin, those Muggles are crafty,” said Aegis. “Well done, Harry.” Draco coughed. “And Draco. Well spotted.”
“I know it’s unethical, but needs must. Draco and I will see if we can liberate a dusting kit from Scotland Yard tonight. Once we have it, we can pass it on to Aegis and I’ll show him how to use it. Agreed?”
Four voices replied in unison, “Agreed.”
“What we do next will very much depend on the outcome,” said Kingsley, draining his pint. “Anyone for another?”
hd_365. This fic follows events in So Many Questions by my co-conspirator profmckitten and my follow up: A Bird in the Hand Is Worth Two in the Bush. Hope you like it mordyn4.Title: The Plot Thickens
Author:
lusiologyPairing: HP/DM
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 1371
Genre: Mystery
Disclaimer No ownership, no money
Beta:
Prompt Timestamp for
mordyn4Summary In which there is bad news from Aegis, a cloak and dagger meeting, and Draco makes the aquaintance of an unusual type of ferret.
The Plot Thickens, PG-13, 1371 words.
It had taken several moments for Harry to locate Kingsley and Tonks at the rear of the softly lit pub, blending effortlessly into the early evening crowd in their Muggle clothes. Once he and Draco had stepped into the bubble of a Privacy Charm, Kingsley pushed out a chair from under the table with his foot, indicating that they should sit down. He then nodded toward two untouched pints of beer on the table. “Tonks took the liberty of ordering for you, while we were waiting.” Harry and Draco glanced at each other, and sat opposite the other two Aurors.
“What’s… this exactly?” said Draco, frowning at the pint of beer now in his hand.
"Fursty Ferret Ale," replied Tonks from across the table they were seated at, valiantly trying to keep a straight face whilst ignoring the rather juvenile sniggering from Harry and Kingsley. “It’s what Muggles call Real Ale, because of the traditional brewing process.”
Draco’s eyes narrowed. He ignored Harry and Kingsley, now mentally christened Tweedledum and Tweedledee, choosing to fix the weight of his icy glare on Tonks. “Are you taking the piss, cousin?”
Tonks drew herself up on her chair and replied, “As if I would do such a thing, cousin,” managing to sound indignant at the slur against her character. “These two hyenas on the other hand…” she trailed off, nodding toward Harry and Kingsley.
Draco snorted inelegantly. “Oh, do grow up, you two. Anyone would think we were back at Hogwarts.”
Clearly, this was the wrong thing to say, because Harry choked on his ale and slumped against a smirking Kingsley, fighting for breath. He finally gasped, ”Ma… Mad-Eye Moody,” before dissolving into silent laughter.
Draco rolled his eyes and sighed. He raised the glass gingerly to his nose and sniffed delicately, seeking confirmation that the golden brew was indeed ale and not what he strongly suspected.
Kingsley managed to lose the smirk and look serious for a moment. “Just try it. You might atually like it,” he said. “When I asked you both to meet us here it was for more important matters, rather than to offend your refined sensibilities, Draco.”
Here was a rather cosy pub with beautiful etched glass windows called The Ship and Shovell, tucked away down Craven Passage, just off The Strand. Despite being close to the Ministry, Harry had never visited this particular area or establishment before. Tonks, it seemed, with her fondness for Muggle Real Ale, was familiar with a great many establishments in out of the way corners of London.
Harry and Draco took a sip of their pints. “Mmmm, not bad,” said Harry, after licking some foam off his lips. “Draco?” Draco chose to ignore him, continuing to sip his pint in silence for the moment.
“Ah, here’s Aegis now,” said Tonks brightly, raising her hand so the group could be seen from across the pub. Everyone shuffled around the table to make more room for Aegis to sit down.
“Malfoy, Potter,” he said, nodding at each man by way of a greeting. “Glad you two boys could make it at such short notice.”
Draco placed his pint back on the table, and leaned back on his chair, feeling the presence of the Privacy Charm against his back. “I’m assuming that the unusual venue has to do with our home security, or rather the apparent lack of it.”
Aegis nodded. “It’s definitely not safe to talk about this at the Ministry. We’re dealing with someone who clearly knows what they are doing when it comes to avoiding detection.”
“In what way?” asked Harry cautiously, knowing full well he would not like the answer.
“Following your recent discovery of the Auris and the footprint traces in your flat, I cast a similar Revealing Charm on your security file to see if it was possible to pin down any magical trace of the wizard who accessed the confidential information regarding your wards.” Aegis paused, taking a long drink of his beer. Four pairs of eyes watched him avidly, waiting for more information.
“And?” Draco finally snapped, when the tension was getting too much to bear.
“And the whole room was filled with hundreds of pulsating threads, criss-crossing in all directions, colour and light everywhere. I couldn’t make sense of them – where they started or stopped, then I realized they were Static, a very sophisticated form of Static I’ve never seen before.”
“Really,” Kingsley said, flicking a worried glance toward Tonks. “And you couldn’t cut through it to pick up an echo?”
Aegis shook his head. “No. Not even with file right in front of me. Like I said, very sophisticated Static. Whoever our insider is working for, he or she is clearly very powerful.”
“Wait a minute,” said Harry, “I’m confused. You said static, is that right?” Aegis nodded. “But isn’t that a form of natural electricity? Couldn’t we drain the charge and then pick up the trace?”
“Not in this case. Static is created by a spell. It interferes with a wand’s ability to pick up a wizard’s magical signature. It’s like… fog, noise; it stops you from seeing a clear image.”
“That’s disappointing news,” said Tonks looking at the pensive faces around the table. “They seemed to have planned for every contingency, but we can’t give up. Whoever is behind ‘P’, the Auris, the Muggle deaths and thr recent attempt on your lives,” she inclined her head toward Harry and Draco, "Is obviously up to more than making and marketing a potent sex aid for wizards to use on Muggles.”
“I agree. The evidence suggests that we are dealing with a group of very powerful people who will stop at nothing to achieve their objective; whatever that may be.”
The group lapsed into brooding silence once more, each lost in their own thoughts, until Draco was heard to murmur, “Filthy Muggles.”
Harry looked up. “Who’s rattled your cage?”
“Look,” Draco replied holding his glass in the air, “the damn thing is covered in greasy finger prints. The bloody glass is disgraceful." He leant over to murmur in Harry's ear, "And stop with the ferret references, or you'll be getting yours later."
Harry turned and smirked slightly at Draco. "Can't wait."
"Get your mind out of the gutter, Potter. You can forget that for a while."
Tonks' voice cut in. “Cast a cleaning charm on it. If you’re careful no one will notice,”
“Why the bloody hell should I? I’m not the pub’s house elf!” Draco snapped, as he slammed the glass on the table and folded his arms, settling back on his chair once again for a good sulk, except the effect was rather spoilt by Harry grasping the glass and exclaiming, “That’s it! That’s it!”
Draco eyed Tonks. “Beelzebub’s beard. He’s pissed already. That’s down to you and your fucking, fighting ferrets.”
“It's one Ferret, and it's Fursty.”
“Fighting ferrets, Fursty Ferret, whatever.” Draco waved a hand at her in irritation. “The point is…”
“No. No. I’m not pissed, and you’re missing the point,” Harry insisted. “It’s the finger prints. I bet he, or she, has left finger prints on the file.”
“I’m not following you, Harry,” said Aegis slowly.
“It’s one of the ways Muggles solve crimes. They dust for fingerprints with a fine powder. Every human has finger prints, and every finger print is unique. If finger prints are present, the powder will cling to the grease left by the skin. I bet they haven’t thought of that!” he said triumphantly.
“You’re saying that despite all the magic surrounding the file and its contents, a dusting of some sort of powder over the file’s cover could be all we need to lead to our mole,” said Tonks.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“Merlin, those Muggles are crafty,” said Aegis. “Well done, Harry.” Draco coughed. “And Draco. Well spotted.”
“I know it’s unethical, but needs must. Draco and I will see if we can liberate a dusting kit from Scotland Yard tonight. Once we have it, we can pass it on to Aegis and I’ll show him how to use it. Agreed?”
Four voices replied in unison, “Agreed.”
“What we do next will very much depend on the outcome,” said Kingsley, draining his pint. “Anyone for another?”
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-05-12 04:05 am (UTC)*feels all nostalgic*
This was really great. Poor Draco - he can't forget the 'ferret' episode that easily and then, Harry's all ready to remind him.. :D
The fingerprints! That was really sneaky of you.. *shivers* Think of Muggle techniques being superior to all manner of wards and things..
This was amazing and now, I want to know what happens next!
no subject
Date: 2007-05-12 11:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-12 04:06 am (UTC)quick thinking there, harry :). and i could very well imagine that they find fingerprints. iiiiinteresting developments...
no subject
Date: 2007-05-12 11:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-12 09:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-12 09:50 pm (UTC)Yahoo!
Date: 2007-05-12 04:14 am (UTC)Very well done, btw. I can't wait to see who is behind the evilness. That clever Harry *pinches his cheeks*. Though it's a bit mean to have at Draco about the ferret incident. Honestly. I feel some sex with holding coming on. >=)
Re: Yahoo!
Date: 2007-05-12 11:50 am (UTC)It would be nice if one day, when RL and other fic pressures have been relieved, you and I could co-write something. You do one character's POV and I'll do the other. (This isn't meant to put you on the spot BTW)
Re: Yahoo!
Date: 2007-05-12 12:52 pm (UTC)Re: Yahoo!
Date: 2007-05-13 11:58 am (UTC)Re: Yahoo!
Date: 2007-05-12 06:21 pm (UTC)The funny thing is, when I was reading through the P stories again, I had this same thought! We're psychic soul sisters!
Re: Yahoo!
Date: 2007-05-13 11:57 am (UTC)Too right we are!
I'll take your response as a yes, then. Maybe at some point we could sort out who'd be who and some other basics like age, and job. *is very excited*
no subject
Date: 2007-05-12 04:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-12 11:53 am (UTC)It was only meant to be a time stamp drabble, but once the finger prints popped into my head there was no stopping me. *G* I'm chomping at the bit to finish this arc but the two challenge fics must be dome first. *glares at muse*
no subject
Date: 2007-05-20 09:33 am (UTC)Let me know when your story is done, k?
no subject
Date: 2007-05-12 05:05 am (UTC)Sorry, just celebrating the next installment of this most excellent fic. Can't wait to see where the next person takes it. *biting nails*
How are you doin', by the way? *sends you a hug*
no subject
Date: 2007-05-12 11:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-12 06:32 am (UTC)Tell me how you found out about the ale. Were you looking for an HPish ale, did someone else tell you about it, or were you out drinking and choked on a peanut when you saw it? Brilliant! And thanks for the links! Wonderful details.
I've been told asking for more more more is the best compliment, but I don't want to stress you out. :P
I love the way you write auror plots, the dark corner discussions and bad guy portrayals and investigative magic and muggle bits.... *sigh* I miss this universe. Thank you so much for bringing us back! :D
no subject
Date: 2007-05-12 12:04 pm (UTC)Oooh, I love compliments. *adores* I know where this fic is going and I want to write my own version from start to finish, so after the challenge fics and RL job stuff, I shall start posting again in installments through the summer hols.
no subject
Date: 2007-05-12 08:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-12 12:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-12 12:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-12 06:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-12 09:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-12 12:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-12 09:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-12 12:12 pm (UTC)I'm secretly pleased with this arc and where I want to take it, so I will be writing an alternative version that is 100% mine. Not because I don't like the additions made by the other authors, but becasue if I put it all together I'll get my first long shot, and as it stands there are jumps in the earlier segments because of the framework it was written in.
no subject
Date: 2007-05-12 12:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-12 06:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-12 04:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-12 06:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-13 06:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-13 11:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-14 03:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-15 03:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-15 11:41 am (UTC)And as always, I like the fact that you always give us links to interesting stuff.
no subject
Date: 2007-05-15 04:01 pm (UTC)I love finding places for them to go to that are real. How are you and Deanella?
no subject
Date: 2007-05-15 04:22 pm (UTC)And you find great places. I'll always remember that beautiful park (not far from your place?). We are fine, it seems that I'm starting to gain weight for real and sometimes I feel the extra weight on my back, and we had a couple of hot days and my feel swelled a lot. But in general I'm feeling fine (those things are not a big deal) and the baby's fine, so I think I'm having a nice pregnancy so far :D
no subject
Date: 2007-05-15 04:58 pm (UTC)You mean Newstead Abbey, Lord Byron's home?
no subject
Date: 2007-05-15 07:35 pm (UTC)