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amorphousTitle: Buried a Lie; Chapter 7: Too Clean
Words: circa 1500(this chapter)
Rating: PG (this chapter)
Characters/Pairings: Main: Draco/Ginny, Minor/Beginning/Temporary: Draco/Luna, Harry/Ginny (other couples mentioned)
Warnings: CHARACTER DEATH. Pretty much totally disregards the epilogue of DH.
Author's Notes: I know a super beta and her name is![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
jandjsalmon.
Summary: (this chapter) Luna wants Draco to believe in the impossible.
Previous chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
Luna accompanied Draco to the Quibbler's office. They received no odd looks upon their arrival together that alone made Draco a little ill. They should receive surprised looks since it was clear that he and Luna made an awkward pair. He shot glares at Charlie and Andrea who sat at their desks. Charlie grinned at him suggestively, daring to say, "You two sure are in getting in late!"
Andrea rolled her eyes and frowned with disappointment at Luna. She clearly did not like seeing Luna arrive with Draco. "I spoke to Ginny. Don't follow her advice," she murmured coldly to Luna.
"Shush, Andrea," Luna said vaguely. "I'm doing what I want. What I should be doing."
Andrea crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back. "He's no good." It was clear who she was talking about when her eyes drifted over to Draco.
He ignored her, going into Xenophilius' office.
"You can't go in there!" Andrea called behind him. He heard her jump up to her feet and follow him, but Luna stood in her way.
"He can go in there," Luna told her, nodding slowly.
"Luna, you can't be serious! He has no right!"
Draco rolled his eyes at Andrea. He sat down behind the desk and started to go through the paperwork.
"He's looking through your father's work!" Andrea accused as though Luna couldn't see him.
"Of course he is, Andy. He's searching for clues."
"I need to know who to thank," Draco quipped from behind the desk, receiving a glare from both Andrea and Luna in reward. "Oh, calm down," he muttered with disgust. "I'm not serious. I wouldn’t be thanking anyone even if the murderer did free me from the bloody spell I was under."
"The spell you were under?" Andrea echoed, looking confused.
"My father was feeding him a mind altering potion," Luna told her, her voice light and dreamy as if it wasn't a big deal to mess with someone's mind.
"That's illegal, isn't it?"
"Only if you're caught," Charlie broke in as he walked in behind the girls.
Andrea rolled her eyes. "It's illegal whether you are caught or not."
"Nothing is illegal until you're caught," Charlie repeated, pressing the issue.
"Shush," Luna whispered her attention fully on Draco.
He grabbed a file off the next stack and opened it, scanning it quickly. "These figures aren't right," he announced, "I was the one doing the spreadsheets and paying attention to finances and these are not correct." He glanced at the top of the page, seeing it was for that week. "We’ve made much more than this."
Luna crossed the room, leaving Charlie and Andrea at the doorway, and looked over Draco’s shoulder. "Those look right to me. It's what I've been receiving."
"It is?" Draco looked over his shoulder at her, his eyes dancing with intrigue and interest. "He was lying to you then. Stealing money, I suppose."
"You can't steal money from you own paper!" Andrea injected annoyed.
"You can if you're paying your employees money based on your gross profit and have a partner that you have to share the profits with."
Andrea snorted, but didn't say anything.
"Why would he steal?" Luna asked, "He wasn't hurting for money. Even with those figures it's more than we made before you bought the shares. He was financially secure."
"Maybe he had more money going out still," Draco said shrugging. "Debts. Gambling. A drug problem. Who knows?"
"He didn't gamble, Draco," Luna retorted, loosing her dreamy quality a bit out of defence for her father. "He owed no one. That's why he sold part of the Quibbler if you recall."
"Maybe he took out a loan in hopes of getting out of the red on his own. When even that didn't help, he had to sell part of the Quibbler," Draco suggested, looking at the paper. "He didn't take much. Actually, barely enough to put a dent on any debt he might have acquire. However, if he did this every week then it would add up quickly."
"When you say drugs…" Luna whispered, "Could the potion he used on you qualify?"
Draco's head snapped up to look at her. "The potion would be illegal. At least one of the ingredients had to be illegal or hard to come by. Not something you can just get on Diagon Alley at least. It would cost more than he had to acquire it."
Luna frowned. "I can't believe my father would do this. Are you sure you're looking over the right figures?"
"Of course," Draco snapped, rolling his eyes. "I'm rather good at mathematics to begin with and finance is my specialty."
Her grey eyes shifted him his, glancing downward. "I can't believe it."
"But you can believe he would alter my mind? He made me love you… I can believe the man was capable of anything."
Luna glared at him, meeting his grey eyes again. "Screw you," she suddenly retorted coldly. "Get out of your ‘woe is me’ mindset. He was wrong. I know it. You know it. Everyone knows it. Just move past it. If you want to find his murderer to thank him, fine, but just keep your opinions of my father to yourself."
Draco was shocked to hear her speak like that – like that to him no less. Her silver eyes were steel, undemanding and unrelenting. Obviously she had already had enough of Draco's comments of his father. She had allowed him some leeway before, but suddenly she was over with that.
"I'm sorry, Miss Lovegood," Draco said coldly, "I'll keep my bloody opinions of your mind altering father to myself. I just might thank the murderer for ridding the world of a bastard like him."
Spinning on her heel, Luna left the office, pushing past Andrea and Charlie. Draco didn't follow her or call after her. He was almost glad she had left. He continued to go through the paperwork not looking up when Andrea went after Luna. He knew his words had been heartless, but the man, her father, had taken away months of his life and for what? For the crazy he had for a daughter? Draco was allowed to be bitter and angry and Luna could be damned if she felt otherwise.
Suddenly, someone slapped two folders on the desk in front of him. "He took out a loan under my mother's name. The paperwork is here. Andrea just gave them to me. I've never seen them before. They were in the trash though."
Draco eyed the folders with disgust. "They were in the trash?"
Luna's voice was dreamy again. "Yes, actually, they were. However, I made sure I cleaned them magically for your delicate hands when Andrea told me."
Draco shot her a dirty look before flipping over the first one. The paperwork was dated a year ago, about six months before Xenophilius put part of the Quibbler up for sale. The amount was shocking. He glanced at the company who supposedly lent Luna's father the money under Mrs. Lovegood's name. It was clearly a puppet company. "There's no such place as Last Chance Loans," Draco muttered.
"I know that," Luna said her voice still the same.
"He had to be paying this off. Probably with the money he was skimming off the top."
"The papers in the older folder are the payments. He's missed the last six months worth."
Draco opened the other folder hurriedly. She was correct. "This is too… This is too clean. He never took out this debt."
"The paperwork—"
"Is falsified. He never took out this loan. He was never in debt. There's something else going on, Luna. It's all too… too damn clean. I don't buy it. I won't buy it. The man fed me potion for a year to make me fall in love with you and want stay at the Quibbler, he was not a stupid man and leaving paperwork like this around…" He waved his hand over the paperwork. "I refuse to believe he'd leave all this laying around if this was the reason for his death."
Luna crossed her arms over her chest and said almost inaudibly, "He didn't know he was going to die."
Draco pulled out a sheet of parchment from under the stack of folders. "Yes he did." He paused before reading: "'Dearest Luna, By now my doings have caught up with me. If you are reading this, I've met my maker. I'm not putting you in danger, Luna, by telling you anything else. Just know that I love you. I'm with your mother, I'm sure of it. Love, your father.' And attached is a will. Your father's will. He's leaving you half of his share in the Quibbler and me, of all people, the other half. There's other things," he held the paper out to her to take, "I'm sure you need to read it. And observe the fact he knew he was going to die."
"Suicide?" Andrea suggested.
"The man would have finished his work on me before if it was suicide," Draco pointed out.
"Maybe he thought he had—"
"No, he knew what he was doing." Draco looked up at Luna's soft grey eyes. "Xenophilius did not commit suicide."
"I know that," Luna snapped in a dreamy voice. "But then who killed him?"
"I'm still not sure yet. But he didn’t commit suicide He was just prepared to die. Strangely enough…" Draco leaned back in his seat, looking at her with curiosity before he said, "You should go home. I know that's where I'm going." Her mouth opened to say something, but he interrupted her. "No, I don't want any company. I'll look for more information and clues later, but for now, I need time alone. Something I haven't had in awhile."
Words: circa 1500(this chapter)
Rating: PG (this chapter)
Characters/Pairings: Main: Draco/Ginny, Minor/Beginning/Temporary: Draco/Luna, Harry/Ginny (other couples mentioned)
Warnings: CHARACTER DEATH. Pretty much totally disregards the epilogue of DH.
Author's Notes: I know a super beta and her name is
jandjsalmon.Summary: (this chapter) Luna wants Draco to believe in the impossible.
Previous chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
Luna accompanied Draco to the Quibbler's office. They received no odd looks upon their arrival together that alone made Draco a little ill. They should receive surprised looks since it was clear that he and Luna made an awkward pair. He shot glares at Charlie and Andrea who sat at their desks. Charlie grinned at him suggestively, daring to say, "You two sure are in getting in late!"
Andrea rolled her eyes and frowned with disappointment at Luna. She clearly did not like seeing Luna arrive with Draco. "I spoke to Ginny. Don't follow her advice," she murmured coldly to Luna.
"Shush, Andrea," Luna said vaguely. "I'm doing what I want. What I should be doing."
Andrea crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back. "He's no good." It was clear who she was talking about when her eyes drifted over to Draco.
He ignored her, going into Xenophilius' office.
"You can't go in there!" Andrea called behind him. He heard her jump up to her feet and follow him, but Luna stood in her way.
"He can go in there," Luna told her, nodding slowly.
"Luna, you can't be serious! He has no right!"
Draco rolled his eyes at Andrea. He sat down behind the desk and started to go through the paperwork.
"He's looking through your father's work!" Andrea accused as though Luna couldn't see him.
"Of course he is, Andy. He's searching for clues."
"I need to know who to thank," Draco quipped from behind the desk, receiving a glare from both Andrea and Luna in reward. "Oh, calm down," he muttered with disgust. "I'm not serious. I wouldn’t be thanking anyone even if the murderer did free me from the bloody spell I was under."
"The spell you were under?" Andrea echoed, looking confused.
"My father was feeding him a mind altering potion," Luna told her, her voice light and dreamy as if it wasn't a big deal to mess with someone's mind.
"That's illegal, isn't it?"
"Only if you're caught," Charlie broke in as he walked in behind the girls.
Andrea rolled her eyes. "It's illegal whether you are caught or not."
"Nothing is illegal until you're caught," Charlie repeated, pressing the issue.
"Shush," Luna whispered her attention fully on Draco.
He grabbed a file off the next stack and opened it, scanning it quickly. "These figures aren't right," he announced, "I was the one doing the spreadsheets and paying attention to finances and these are not correct." He glanced at the top of the page, seeing it was for that week. "We’ve made much more than this."
Luna crossed the room, leaving Charlie and Andrea at the doorway, and looked over Draco’s shoulder. "Those look right to me. It's what I've been receiving."
"It is?" Draco looked over his shoulder at her, his eyes dancing with intrigue and interest. "He was lying to you then. Stealing money, I suppose."
"You can't steal money from you own paper!" Andrea injected annoyed.
"You can if you're paying your employees money based on your gross profit and have a partner that you have to share the profits with."
Andrea snorted, but didn't say anything.
"Why would he steal?" Luna asked, "He wasn't hurting for money. Even with those figures it's more than we made before you bought the shares. He was financially secure."
"Maybe he had more money going out still," Draco said shrugging. "Debts. Gambling. A drug problem. Who knows?"
"He didn't gamble, Draco," Luna retorted, loosing her dreamy quality a bit out of defence for her father. "He owed no one. That's why he sold part of the Quibbler if you recall."
"Maybe he took out a loan in hopes of getting out of the red on his own. When even that didn't help, he had to sell part of the Quibbler," Draco suggested, looking at the paper. "He didn't take much. Actually, barely enough to put a dent on any debt he might have acquire. However, if he did this every week then it would add up quickly."
"When you say drugs…" Luna whispered, "Could the potion he used on you qualify?"
Draco's head snapped up to look at her. "The potion would be illegal. At least one of the ingredients had to be illegal or hard to come by. Not something you can just get on Diagon Alley at least. It would cost more than he had to acquire it."
Luna frowned. "I can't believe my father would do this. Are you sure you're looking over the right figures?"
"Of course," Draco snapped, rolling his eyes. "I'm rather good at mathematics to begin with and finance is my specialty."
Her grey eyes shifted him his, glancing downward. "I can't believe it."
"But you can believe he would alter my mind? He made me love you… I can believe the man was capable of anything."
Luna glared at him, meeting his grey eyes again. "Screw you," she suddenly retorted coldly. "Get out of your ‘woe is me’ mindset. He was wrong. I know it. You know it. Everyone knows it. Just move past it. If you want to find his murderer to thank him, fine, but just keep your opinions of my father to yourself."
Draco was shocked to hear her speak like that – like that to him no less. Her silver eyes were steel, undemanding and unrelenting. Obviously she had already had enough of Draco's comments of his father. She had allowed him some leeway before, but suddenly she was over with that.
"I'm sorry, Miss Lovegood," Draco said coldly, "I'll keep my bloody opinions of your mind altering father to myself. I just might thank the murderer for ridding the world of a bastard like him."
Spinning on her heel, Luna left the office, pushing past Andrea and Charlie. Draco didn't follow her or call after her. He was almost glad she had left. He continued to go through the paperwork not looking up when Andrea went after Luna. He knew his words had been heartless, but the man, her father, had taken away months of his life and for what? For the crazy he had for a daughter? Draco was allowed to be bitter and angry and Luna could be damned if she felt otherwise.
Suddenly, someone slapped two folders on the desk in front of him. "He took out a loan under my mother's name. The paperwork is here. Andrea just gave them to me. I've never seen them before. They were in the trash though."
Draco eyed the folders with disgust. "They were in the trash?"
Luna's voice was dreamy again. "Yes, actually, they were. However, I made sure I cleaned them magically for your delicate hands when Andrea told me."
Draco shot her a dirty look before flipping over the first one. The paperwork was dated a year ago, about six months before Xenophilius put part of the Quibbler up for sale. The amount was shocking. He glanced at the company who supposedly lent Luna's father the money under Mrs. Lovegood's name. It was clearly a puppet company. "There's no such place as Last Chance Loans," Draco muttered.
"I know that," Luna said her voice still the same.
"He had to be paying this off. Probably with the money he was skimming off the top."
"The papers in the older folder are the payments. He's missed the last six months worth."
Draco opened the other folder hurriedly. She was correct. "This is too… This is too clean. He never took out this debt."
"The paperwork—"
"Is falsified. He never took out this loan. He was never in debt. There's something else going on, Luna. It's all too… too damn clean. I don't buy it. I won't buy it. The man fed me potion for a year to make me fall in love with you and want stay at the Quibbler, he was not a stupid man and leaving paperwork like this around…" He waved his hand over the paperwork. "I refuse to believe he'd leave all this laying around if this was the reason for his death."
Luna crossed her arms over her chest and said almost inaudibly, "He didn't know he was going to die."
Draco pulled out a sheet of parchment from under the stack of folders. "Yes he did." He paused before reading: "'Dearest Luna, By now my doings have caught up with me. If you are reading this, I've met my maker. I'm not putting you in danger, Luna, by telling you anything else. Just know that I love you. I'm with your mother, I'm sure of it. Love, your father.' And attached is a will. Your father's will. He's leaving you half of his share in the Quibbler and me, of all people, the other half. There's other things," he held the paper out to her to take, "I'm sure you need to read it. And observe the fact he knew he was going to die."
"Suicide?" Andrea suggested.
"The man would have finished his work on me before if it was suicide," Draco pointed out.
"Maybe he thought he had—"
"No, he knew what he was doing." Draco looked up at Luna's soft grey eyes. "Xenophilius did not commit suicide."
"I know that," Luna snapped in a dreamy voice. "But then who killed him?"
"I'm still not sure yet. But he didn’t commit suicide He was just prepared to die. Strangely enough…" Draco leaned back in his seat, looking at her with curiosity before he said, "You should go home. I know that's where I'm going." Her mouth opened to say something, but he interrupted her. "No, I don't want any company. I'll look for more information and clues later, but for now, I need time alone. Something I haven't had in awhile."
Please do write more
Date: 2008-04-04 04:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-09 09:41 pm (UTC)