93

That was impressive." Harry commented with a smile as they caught up.

"I think I made my point," Kathryn mused, "though I have a feeling Fudge wasn't too impressed."

"Well that was to be expected." Lucius shrugged. "If he'd invited you in the first place he would have saved himself the embarrassment."

"And he's obviously left you out of the version of events that he told the Prime Minister," Hermione added, "which is just wrong, no matter what he thinks of what happened."

"Hence my gate-crashing." Kathryn laughed slightly. "Though I get the feeling that I'm about to pay for it."

"How?" Ron asked, the three of them not having heard Fudge's final words to her.

"Fudge wants to see me at the Ministry in an hour," she explained, "probably to give me a dressing down, though personally I don't think he has a leg to stand on."

"Do you want us to come?" Harry asked.

"Oh its fine," she sighed, "it's nothing I can't handle."

"Well, if you're sure."

"Of course I am," they reached the front door, "do you want a lift home?"

"If you're offering."

"Well, I've got to stay in London so I might as well." With a quick word to the Ministry driver, Harry and the others climbed into the back of Lucius' car; sitting facing Kathryn and Lucius on the back seats.

"Grimmauld Place please." She said to the driver once he was back in his seat. Nodding silently, the car pulled smoothly away and headed back into the London traffic.

"Are you both going to go to the Ministry?" Hermione asked curiously.

"I don't think that would be wise." Kathryn shook her head. "I promised Fudge that I would keep this under the radar, so walking through the Atrium would probably break that promise."

"Would be funny to watch though." Ron chuckled.

"Well yes," Kathryn smirked, "but keeping it secret is best I think."

"Any particular reason?" Harry asked.

"Because it could be my trump card," she explained, "if things don't go my way I can use this against them. Maybe they haven't realised it, but the fact that they have repeatedly allowed Lucius to come home at the weekend could massively discredit any verdict they levy."

"Because how can they condemn a man to Azkaban when they have seen fit to allow him some freedom." Hermione quickly arrived at the crux of her argument.

"Indeed," Kathryn nodded, "if they thought Lucius was that dangerous they would have flatly refused my requests." She looked at Lucius somewhat apologetically. "Sorry, I didn't mean to talk about you as if you weren't here."

"Just so long as no one else hears you say so," he reassured her, "I wouldn't want people to think me some kind of tame little creature."

"Well I want saying that you were." Kathryn corrected herself.

"I should hope not," he smirked, "heaven forbid too many people should see behind my mask." Hermione shared a quick look with Harry and Ron at that statement, realising it somewhat confirmed the suspicious she had voiced the previous week.

When the car stopped in Grimmauld Place, Harry was surprised when Kathryn made to get out of the car too.

"You're coming in?" he asked, somewhat confused.

"Well, I thought I'd have a cup of tea before I head off to the Ministry, if that's alright?"

"Of course," he cast a glance at Lucius, "but what about Lucius?" Kathryn noted that he hadn't simply referred to him as 'Malfoy', and she appreciated how big a mental step that must have been for him.

"Oh you'll be alright heading back home, won't you?" she turned to Lucius, raising her eyebrows questioningly.

"Of course," he nodded, "I have a few matters that require my attention."

"I'll Floo back when I'm finished," she smiled, "I don't think I'll be too long."

"Don't give him an inch." He offered as a final piece of advice, kissing her swiftly.

"Never." She smirked, giving him a quick wink as she shut the door behind her.

They sat in the kitchen until the hour was almost up; telling everyone else what had gone on at the meeting. Sirius looked particularly proud when Harry explained how she had made her dramatic entrance, fully agreeing with her reasoning. He too offered to accompany her to the Ministry but, as she had done with Harry, she politely refused. Much as she appreciated their support, she knew that to make Fudge realise that she was a force to be reckoned with; she had to do things like this alone.

Transfiguring her stole into a cloak to protect her dress from the soot, she stepped into the fire at five to twelve; reappearing in the Atrium in a flash of green flame. Sliding the cloak from her shoulders, she squared her shoulders and strode confidently into the Atrium, letting the cloak trail dramatically along the floor behind her. She could feel the eyes of the Ministry staff, all heading out on their lunch breaks, following her as she made a bee-line for the golden elevators. Though tempted to smirk at the looks she received, she kept her face set in its cool, impenetrable mask. After all, she mused as the lift door rattled shut, why let her expression give it away when it was far more fun to people guessing about the reason for her visit to Fudge.

Percy wasn't as his desk when she entered the outer office but Fudge's door was waiting opened so she considered that her invitation.

"Well, I'm here," she declared as she strode through the doors, making Fudge visibly jump, "as ordered."

"If you would shut the door, Miss Potter." Fudge asked tersely, his eyebrows set in a scowl. Kathryn waved her wand obligingly, making sure they closed with an appropriate slam.

"There, now what was it you wanted to see me about?" Fudge paused a moment before answering.

"How dare you undermine me like that?" he told her coldly, his scowl deepening. "In front of the Muggle Prime Minister no less?"

"Actually, it was spectacularly easy." She replied coolly, her voice giving no hint of shame for what she had done.

"And how dare you bring him with you? I daren't consider what the Prime Minister must think now?"

"He will think that he has seen an excellent example of a person's ability to change." Kathryn shrugged.

"You cannot be serious?"

"Perfectly." She countered. "How dare you exclude me?" she continued, her voice harsh and cold. "How dare you even consider it?"

"You do not deserve to be recognised," he shot back acerbically, "not after what you have done."

"And what have I done?" she asked angrily. "What is my great crime?"

"Your betrayal is enough."

"And what evidence do you have, Fudge?" she raised her arms aloft in question. "Where have you found a single shred of evidence that says I betrayed my principles, my cause?"

"We have almost daily proof on that account."

"You have none!" she cried, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "The only proof you have is that I never told him a single thing, not one, no matter what he did to me!"

"You still chose to consort with him," Fudge reminded her, "you knew that there would be consequences."

"The last time I checked, being someone's lover was not a crime."

"No, but it can still be wrong." His scowl was still firmly set. "What was I supposed to say about you to the Prime Minister? Oh yes, there is another Potter but she disgraced herself by taking up with one of the Dark Lord's followers and she now persists in defending his crimes."

"I do not defend his crimes!" Kathryn roared, unbelievably incensed. "Do you think I don't know what he was capable of? That I do not know how lucky I am?"

"I think you live in your own world where Lucius Malfoy is concerned."

"I live in a world you cannot understand," she spat, vitriol flooding her tone, "and you never will. You are not possessed of adequate courage to understand why I did what I did and I don't believe you ever shall be."

"You willingly gave yourself over to a relationship with him when you could have walked away; there was nothing courageous about that."

"Funnily enough, I think you'll find that there are many that disagree with you on that count." At least, she hoped there were.

"Happily, it is my opinion that counts." He replied smugly.

"Whatever you think me guilty of," she tried her best to calm down, taking a deep breath, "that still gives you no right to exclude me. Did you think I wouldn't find out?" she asked. "Did you think Harry would be naïve enough to think that you would've invited me too?"

"What can I say," he shrugged nonchalantly, "I hoped."

"You deserved the embarrassment you got this morning." She saw no reason to pull her punches now, not after what had gone before. "And I won't deny that I took great pleasure in causing it."

"You looked like a child being petty." Fudge scoffed.

"I don't think so," Kathryn shook her head, "and you're a fool if you believe that."

"What did you gain by it, Miss Potter?" he questioned. "Did you think that meeting would have any effect on your situation?"

"Not at all," Kathryn shook her head, "but I thought the Prime Minister a prudent acquaintance to make."

"And what use to you could he possibly be as an acquaintance?" Fudge scoffed. "That meeting was merely a formality."

"Well, you never know what the future holds," she told him, gazing disinterestedly at her nails, "and your time will come, I have no doubt about that."

"Is that a threat?" he raised his eyebrows. "A challenge? Because if you do make such an attempt, I assure you, you will fail."

"Oh it's not a challenge," she sighed, "yet."

"Yet?"

"Well, after all, I'm only twenty. I think I should like to live my life a little before I go into politics."

"Indeed, I should think you are far too young to even consider such a move." Though he sounded calm, Kathryn could see a flash of fear in his eyes.

"I shall, however, be very happy to throw my weight and my, considerable, resources behind anyone worthy to pose such a challenge." She finished, staring him dead in the eyes so he knew that she wasn't bluffing.

"You think that anyone else who assumes this office would see your situation differently?"

"Oh I could think of several," she smirked, "but anything has to be better than you."

"Well don't count on such a thing happening before Monday." He asserted smugly. "For you deserve to be taught a harsh lesson about justice, and with any luck I shall be able to deliver it."

"Well, I'm sure you'll try your best," she sighed. "If that is all, I think I'll be going now."

"I'd say this meeting is over, yes."

"Very well." She turned and headed towards the door. "But you were foolish to make an enemy of me Fudge," she cast a glance back over her shoulder, "when I could've been your greatest ally."

Her face was no doubt quite easy to read as she strode back through the Atrium and people wisely steered clear. Throwing the cloak around her shoulders, she Flooed back to Grimmauld Place but didn't stop for conversation before stepping right back into the fire and returning to Malfoy Manor.

"That man!" she exclaimed as she stepped out of the fireplace in the drawing room.

"It went that well, did it?" Lucius asked wryly from where he was sat reading the paper.

"Oh fantastic," she drawled, returning her stole to normal and draping it over the back of a chair, "he really does have a way with words."

"So he was using his choicest vocabulary then?"

"Oh yes," she flopped down next to him, slipping her feet out of her shoes, "it's quite pathetic really, when you consider it."

"Well, for a grown man to allow himself to be intimidated by someone so young, it's really quite laughable."

"I think I can safely say that, if he was maybe a little annoyed at me before, he is definitely furious now."

"What did you say that was that bad?"

"Well I made it clear that I would support anyone that wanted to challenge his leadership."

"I see."

"It's bound to happen sooner or later and I can only hope that it's sooner."

"Yes, well, he was quite crystal clear when he intimated that he was going to do his best to have you sent to Azkaban."

"Well that's hardly a surprise."

"I know," she sighed, "but it was just the way he said it."

"How do you mean?"

"Oh he was all holier than thou," she explained, "like he was Barty Crouch all over again. He seemed to think that it was only his vote that counted with the Wizengamot."

"Thankfully it doesn't."

"I thought reminding him of that would be a step too far, but maybe it wasn't."

"Well, that aside, I assume you've made up with Sirius?" he asked, assuming that her visit to Grimmauld Place had been a welcome one.

"Yeah," she sighed, "I went to see him after Draco's trial."

"How did he handle your showing up?"

"Well obviously not too badly, seeing as I'm still here and not in St Mungo's with spell damage. He was shocked I think, but we went for a walk and we talked things out."

"You mean you actually talked him round?"

"Not exactly," she shrugged, "but he's willing to be more open minded."

"Open minded is a start."

"That's what I thought," she nodded, "and it's all rather taxing to be angry with him when you consider everything else I have to deal with!"

"Always the pragmatist." He chuckled, pulling her closer.

"Well in these situations I think it helps." She shrugged. "If things go sour I don't want to have to deal with the Prophet trying to exaggerate any tension between Sirius and I as well as anything else they decide to throw at me."

"Definitely not."

"Anyway," she waved away these concerns, not really wanting to dwell on them, "have you had any lunch?"

"No," he shook his head, but I did ask the house elves to put together a basket for us, seeing as it's nice I thought we could eat in the garden."

"Oh that would be nice," she sighed, leaning into him, "especially after this morning. I'll just go and change," the pulled at the hem of her dress, "as this is hardly appropriate, unless this is going to be some kind of glamorous picnic!" Lucius merely chuckled at her as she sprang off the sofa, shoes in hand, and practically bounded out the door to change. Sitting there, he could not help but feel incredibly lucky. Having been brought up to consider his fortune and status in society as a mere birth right, he had never been in possession of anything that had made him feel the way he did when she looked his way.