Draco was dressed in a rich silver dressing robe that looked as if it had been made of an alchemical mixture of silk and dragon hide. It lent him an austere air, which suited the mood of the room as its Master leafed through what appeared to be paperwork, probably financial. A tall transparent goblet of drinking chocolate was set on a small table near Draco's desk, and its contents were dark, almost black. Draco had been waiting since four o'clock despite Theodore's promise to make it by quarter 'til five; he sighed, setting the scrolls down and leaning back his head against the chair he was sitting in. Draco pulled a hand through his white-blond hair, watching as the longer strands fell gracefully, nearly in slow-motion. His mind was cluttered, and he hoped Theodore would improve its general state.
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Theodore appeared just beyond the Apparition line and walked casually to the door. Despite arriving a few minutes later than he had intended, he was in no particular hurry. He was still wearing his business robes. He'd spent the whole afternoon in meetings with various staff members, the heads of subsidiaries, and representatives from the Ministry.
When he arrived, an elf was waiting for him and showed him to the study, though he didn't require direction. The elf knocked before entering to announce Theodore.
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"What is it?!" Draco said sharply to the houseelf. He felt much like his father had about the repulsive things; Daphne was far too kind to them.
Draco didn't bother to stand as the elf opened the door in a panicked, unsure gesture, and it wasn't until he'd caught a gimpse of Theodore that his expression warmed.
"I was worried," Draco drawled lazily, giving his friend an unintended half-smile.
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Theodore entered and sat across from Draco, not really bothering to wait to be invited to do so. He said, "I hope you're not serious. I don't believe that I have ever witnessed you worry for me. I might be concerned if you started now. Regardless, my apologies if I have kept you waiting. Business has little concern for personal affairs, and business has been consuming as of late. How are you, today?"
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"You sound like Daphne," Draco said scoffingly, refusing to allow both his wife and his best (and possibly only) friend to nurse him in any way. He drank from the chocolate, the strange look in his eyes fading as he took a long draught.
"Get out of here," Draco shot to the houseelf who was still loitering around the door. "I hate those filthy things," he said to no one in particular, but in a way that indicated he apparently expected Theodore to agree.
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"Well, you needn't have them if you'd prefer to do the housework yourself," Theodore responded. He wasn't particularly fond of house elves, but he didn't have any reason to revile them.
"So, what was so urgent?" Theodore hoped that there was something in fact urgent about this little meeting. Theodore had gotten used to being a man in charge of his surroundings and found Draco's letter rather rude. Of course, he knew that Draco wasn't quite up to date with the current state of things, and thus gave him the benefit of the doubt.
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"What have I missed?" Draco started firmly. "It appears that I haven't lost any money on my little holiday," he said in a very bitter tone, "but I can't imagine my worries should end there."
Draco tapped a few scrolls with two of his fingers lightly. "I assume I may as well make some sort of statement as soon as possible. I wouldn't want rumors that I've turned from criminal to recluse to carry any weight." Draco wasn't certain that he was prepared to carry out on this notion just yet, but he hoped he'd have the courage when the time came. In fact, he had quite a bit to say about the wrongful imprisonment of wealthy young heirs.
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Theodore was trying to think of an appropriate way of breaking it to Draco that his absence had only caused as much stir as Daphne had made of it. "Honestly, Draco, things have been run-of-the-mill in Britain over the last six months. Daphne's kept your name in the papers and has hounded the Ministry and has done a commendable job managing your estate. But nothing truly newsworthy."
He didn't want this discussion to turn toward the war, as he was never comfortable discussing it, but even in that area, there wasn't much to discuss. Both sides seemed to have been rather quiet in recent months.
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"So it's essentially dull news that an innocent man was locked away in Azkaban," Draco said coldly. "I see." He was furious, but not directly at Theo; it was the very fact that he had ever been put away in the place at all that stirred him, and he wanted the wizarding world to suffer some hell for it.
"At very least we could turn the entire population of the Ministry over to the Dementors for holiday," drawled Draco, his voice dripping with implicit cruelty. He wanted someone to pay for this. He had had too much taken too quickly, and personal recovery wasn't his only concern - revenge was constantly on his mind.
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"No, actually, it made quite a splash when both Malfoy men ended up in Azkaban. But after six months, even with all of Daphne's efforts, it was difficult to make people care. Draco, you haven't many friends out there fighting for you." It was a bit harsh, but it was the truth. Draco wasn't a very likable guy.
"And, while it would amuse me to see a certain few Ministry officials being demented, I doubt that all or even many are to blame for your prolonged imprisonment. I would assume that that honor rests with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Minister herself."
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Draco bristled a bit, bruised by Theo's directness.
"Then we need to do something about the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Lady Minister, now don't we? And perhaps we can out with those irritating Aurors while we're at it." Draco was scheming, and he trusted Theo was behind him, even if few others were.
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Theodore frowned a bit. He was indeed irritated that the Ministry had imprisoned Draco for so long without bringing him to trial. It was wrong of them, even if he'd actually done that of which they accused him. And though he didn't know for sure, he wouldn't put it past Draco if he'd been pressured.
Nevertheless, Theodore made his living off of the Ministry. It was his biggest customer. He was willing to push the Ministry for restitution and reforms, but he didn't like where Draco seemed to be going.
"What exactly did you have in mind, Draco? We're not talking about a ragtag gang of school children or unsuspecting Muggles. We're talking about the government. We can stir the waters, maybe get someone fired. Restitution is possible, reforms maybe. But it sounds to me like you won't settle for that, and if that's the case, you're going to find yourself back at Azkaban sooner than you'd like, my friend. And none of us want that." Theodore had grown something of a spine in recent years. He was sure that Draco wasn't used to that.
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Draco's laugh was meant to sound self-depreciating. "You do make a good point, Theo. What on Earth am I thinking?" Draco sighed, resigning himself to reason. "Of course, you're right, Theo. We can't go storm the Ministry and simply start a War with the Aurors, now can we? Of course it's best to work from within..."
Draco had been forced to become a bit more brave as well, during his stay in Azkaban. Brave or mad, whichever fit best. Draco mentally counted Theo out of his more proactive designs, realizing he'd have to enlist rasher help elsewhere.
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Theodore wasn't confident that Draco was being entirely honest. Nevertheless, Theodore gave him the benefit of the doubt and moved on.
"So, was this the only thing you wanted to talk to me about, or do you have something else on your mind?"
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"I need to make time for a public interview soon," Draco said carelessly. "See that Daphne arranges it." He was tiring of Theodore's ineffectual attitude, and wondered if his own wife would be eager to engage in more active means to rectify the apparent injustices within the Ministry.
"That's all, Theo," Draco said finally. "And thank you for seeing me." His relationships were becoming more official and less emotionally involved; for the time being, this allowed Draco to breathe a bit after such a long stint in the Underworld.
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Theodore didn't like being told to arrange things, but he wasn't going to argue the issue with Draco right now.
"Draco, our parents and a lot of our friends' parents and some of our friends, for that matter, lost their lives to a cause in which few truly believed. I don't want to lose more friends to a dying cause."
Theodore started to leave, stopping long enough to say, "I hope to see you often, Draco. Friends are hard to come by these days." Then he continued out of the study and manor.
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