Taking Over Me

Chapter 14 - The Ministry Takes Action

Robert Dayton, Minister of Magic, sat in his office, mindlessly folding a piece of paper to pass the time. All the activities concerning the Death Eaters were unknown to him, and he felt a little left out being the only one not knowing what was going on.

He sighed dejectedly, and threw the paper in the wastebasket, missing the shot. The paper bounced off the rim, and fell into a pile of discarded papers near the corner of his office.

He was about to take out another piece of paper when the door was slammed open. He quickly hid the paper, and sat on his desk, quickly filing through some other papers on his desk, making it look like he was passing the time productively.

He looked up, and smiled at the sight of Ginny Weasley, nervously wringing her hands, and looking downcast. She stepped in the office without being invited, shut the door, and finally looked up at him.

"May I help you, Miss Weasley?" he asked.

"Sorry to bother you like this, sir," she immediately said. "Sandy wasn't at her desk, and I didn't want to wait for her to return to talk to you and - "

"Ginny!" Robert said, standing up, and walking around his desk. He walked up to her, and put his hands on her shoulders. "What's wrong?"

Ginny burst into tears. "Harry has gone missing!" she cried.

Robert's face fell. "What?"

"He and Ron went somewhere, and they haven't returned! Then, a couple of weeks ago, Hermione and Affinity left to go look for them! They haven't returned either!" She covered her face and cried.

"Why wasn't I informed?" he bellowed.

"I don't know! Shacklebolt was supposed to tell you, but he didn't want you to be hurt at the loss of your favorite aurors. I came up here against his will, and without anybody knowing. I had to inform you, sir."

"Has anything been done? Have they gone out to look for him?"

"No one knows where they went. Or, if they do, no one's speaking up."

Robert sat on the edge of his desk, took up a piece of paper, crinkled it up, and hurled it at the wastebasket, making it in.

"But, I know someone who does know where they are," Ginny whispered in a small voice.

"Then pray tell!"

She looked up at him and sniffed. "Hermione wouldn't leave somewhere unsafe without letting someone know first. They're at Malfoy Manor."

"Malfoy Manor? Isn't Lucius Malfoy in Azkaban?"

"I can see you haven't read the Daily Prophet in a while. He has escaped. He escaped a long time ago."

"Why am I never informed of these things? I sent him an extension on his sentence just last week; and then the month before that! I feel like such a fool now."

"Sir, you are the Minister of Magic. You can order Shacklebolt to do something about this!"

"Believe me, I will."

Ginny nodded, her job now done. She turned around, and began walking towards the door, but was stopped as a sudden cold wind engulfed the room.

---

Abigail Waters looked up from her book. She was the fill in for Hermione while she was gone, and that meant she was up in the lobby, a clear view of all that went on up there.

She found it strange, something was out of place, though she couldn't spot it. Everyone was walking around as usual, and the noise level hadn't wavered. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, and looked back down at her book.

There was that strange feeling again. She looked up, and jumped at the sight of a tall, slender, elegant woman standing before her. She looked pale, and almost ghostly, and it made Abigail shiver. There was also a cold atmosphere around the woman, which also made Abigail shiver.

"May I help you?" Abigail asked.

"The Minister's office, please," the woman replied. Her voice was icy, and cold.

"Certainly," she said as she looked down at her book again. "Do you have an appointment?"

The woman took a few minutes to reply. "Yes."

Abigail looked down the list of names, and came upon one that was listed as the only appointment the Minister had that day.

"Toby Elliot?"

"Yes," the woman replied.

"All right. Just head on over to the elevator. It will be the fourth floor. You'll be able to find it easily." She looked up, but the woman was gone.

---

"What's going on?" Ginny asked Robert.

"I don't know!" Robert yelled back.

The wind was strong and cold. It was blowing in a circle, though nothing seemed effected by it. The papers were all on the desk, the plant's leaves weren't moving an inch, and Ginny's hair was hanging calmly at her side.

Finally, the wind stopped. Robert and Ginny looked around, and flinched when their eyes rested upon another being, which stood with her back to them, facing the door.

"I must speak with the minister," she said.

"I am the Minster," Robert said, standing between the woman and Ginny. "Robert Dayton. May I help you?"

The woman turned around. Her long white night dress cascaded down to the ground, covering her feet. Her arms hung limply at her sides. Her hair flowed down her back to her waist.

"No," she replied. "But I can help you." She looked at Ginny and smiled. "You look just like the little muggle girl."

Ginny gave her a confused look.

"I am here by the order of a certain someone, who wants me to tell you about certain some ones." She smiled at Ginny. "You are Ginny Weasley, are you not?"

"Yes, I am," Ginny replied, her voice quivering. "What do you want?"

"What is this news?" Robert asked.

The woman smiled. "Ginny, are you familiar with Melly Avalon?" She took a step towards Ginny.

"Yes," the younger woman replied. "My brother practically loves her. He just found out a while back that she was brought here, and that she is dead. It tore him apart."

"What if I was to tell you," the woman continued, still walking towards Ginny slowly, "that I know where your brother is? Along with his friends? What if I was to tell you that Melly Avalon is dead, but Melly Malfoy is not?"

"Who's Melly Malfoy?" Robert demanded.

"My brother is alive?" Ginny asked, stepping towards the woman.

"What if I was to tell you that I was sent here by Melly Malfoy to round up aurors and tell them where the next Death Eater meeting is going to be at?"

"Will Ron be there?"

"Most likely. As will Harry Potter. And Hermione Granger. And Affinity Holder."

They stopped walking towards each other, both only inches away from each other.

"Where will this meeting be?" Ginny asked.

The woman smirked. "Soon."