(Untitled)

[vincere_aut_mor]

Date: 28th March 2002
Time: Midday
Location: Ministry of Magic, and wherever they eat.
Characters: Lucius Malfoy and Millicent
Rating:  No more than PG I should imagine.

Lucius couldn't help sneering as the was asked to hand over his wand. The Ministry had already taken the ability to defend himself from him, what more did they want? Of course, it

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[mrs_morsus]

Millicent could have laughed out loud at the mere mention of “patience” and “Malfoy” in the same sentence. Lucius Malfoy had many fine points; the idea that patience was one of them was ludicrous. Her opinion of Draco was not at all as elevated as her opinion of Lucius. Draco had yet to show Millicent that there was any reason to expect that the boy who should have grown into the very flower of Pure Blood manhood had become anything but a weak coward of considerable wealth and no redeeming attributes. Perhaps Daphne would uncover something of value there. Literally.

Lucius, however, did not disappoint. The man was intelligent, cunning and filled with enough guile to make her weak at the knees. And she was about to have him for lunch.

“Too many visitors?” Sycophants, hangers on and those willing to do anything to curry favour with the Malfoys, she imagined. “An embarrassment of riches, no doubt.” Just like every other area of the spoiled heir’s existence. “It will take a great deal of reassurance for Narcissa to be certain of his health and well-being, I should think. Draco will have to bear with his mother’s attentions until his full recovery is an accomplished fact.”

He hadn’t hexed anyone as yet? Millicent had not been considering a visit, but she could sympathize that others might approach the injured prickly Prince with trepidation. He was probably not in the mood to accept their offered adulation.

Millicent signaled her departure to the others working in the Office and then led Lucius back out into the fourth floor hallway, where she paused as soon as they had cleared the doorway and were not likely to be either seen or overheard by nosy co-workers. She paused to allow Lucius to walk beside her rather than behind her and so she could ask where he wished to dine. Eat would be a better description. They were unlikely to “dine” on anything remotely refined at either the Ministry cafeteria or The Leaky Cauldron. His question deferred hers.

“Of course, Lucius. Shall I hex you to demonstrate?” A bedazzling hex might make lunch a bit more interesting. “What good would even an Auror-in-Training be without a wand at the ready? This thankless job ought to have some benefits, don’t you think?” It was perhaps unkind of her to flaunt her abilities to one who laboured under the strictures of the Registry, but Millicent’s to-do list did not include anything resembling “kind”.

[vincere_aut_mor]

Lucius inclined his head in agrement. Narcissa had agreed that it would be unwise for her to face Greyback. With Severus and Ginny Weasley taking care of Draco's medical needs, it was hardly surprising that Narcissa would attend to all other practical matters of his day to day care attentitively.

He arched an eyebrow as she offered to hex him. A fine sight that would make. He suspected he would find himself off to Azkaban before she had even fully raised her wand.

"A demonstration will not be necessary," he said with an easy smile.

He laughed at the comment on needing a wand at the ready, "in the curious case of the house-elves staging a coup on the building of course," he said in gentle mockery of her current position.

Lucius had no intentions of allowing the dry offerings of the Leaky Cauldron to offend his tongue, and the Ministry Cafeteria was given no consideration. If they had time to reach the Leaky Cauldron, it was only but a brisk walk to Exedere, a small restaurant located at the point Knockturn Alley curved towards Diagon Alley. Of course at this time of day the glitter of gold might be all that would secure them a comfortable table, but he knew the owner reasonably well, and was confident they would be seated there.

Typically the food of Knockturn Alley should--at least--be exposed to a high degree of scrutiny. But Exedere had been open many years, catering to those whose tastes did not necesarily run to the level of unusual that might usually be found in Knockturn Alley. The menu was partially experimental, though it's more traditional dishes equally carried flavour worthy of savouring.

"I thought we might dine at Exedere, in Knockturn Alley. It is not so far from the Leaky Cauldron, and I think your taste buds will be thankful of the extra few moments it will take."

[mrs_morsus]

“Use my wand on those despicable rodents?” She mused, wondering if she could arrange such a mishap without bringing undue notice to her activities. The she sighed with regret. Probably not. “Deserving though they might be, they are within their rights at the Ministry, as that nightmare in the Atrium serves to remind us daily.” In Millicent’s world, that dreadful and artless fountain would be replaced by something more acceptable, perhaps a centaur, a goblin and a House-Elf serving Merlin, as the ultimate representative of Pure Blood Magic. Yes, that would do nicely.

Millicent raised an eyebrow at his suggestion for their luncheon, an innocent gesture since she was walking next to Lucius and it was unlikely he could even see it.

“Exedere? How delightful.” Indeed. This outing was becoming more interesting by the minute. Millicent herself had avoided Knockturn Alley like the plague since she had begun working at the Ministry. Even before then she only entered using a glamour and concealing robes. Still, Exedere had a decent enough reputation, was at the edge of Knockturn Alley and since Lucius was collecting votes, it was a reasonable place for him to dine.

As far as Millicent could determine, Phineas Philbin Phippen, longtime Wizengamot representative from Diagon Alley had been elected solely by Knockturn Alley residents, or at least their election expertise. Perhaps she and Lucius could learn some valuable lessons in electorate mathematics from Knockturn Alley. Exedere might contain valuable information as well as more palatable food.

“It will be welcome relief from the forgettable efforts of the Ministry cooks. I shall explore their depths soon and discover whether the cast-off House-Elves adrift in my current assignment are mucking about down there. Now there would be a good use for my wand…”

She trailed off as they reached Diagon Alley and made their way to the restaurant. It was a busy day in Diagon, but Millicent had no cause to fear being seen with Lucius, so the press of the great unwashed wizarding community bothered her a bit less than usual.

[vincere_aut_mor]

He smiled at her approval of the resaurant. It had been some time since he dined alone with a woman who was not his wife, but he was pleased to find the inclination to spoil a lady in his company had not faded. It was unthinkable to invite Millicent to dinner, and not provide her with the finest food time would allow.

Clearly there was no shortage of affluence in the wizarding community. It was the middle of a weekday, and Diagon Alley was bustling with midday shoppers, with nothing better to do.

Lucius guided her to the far end of Knockturn Alley, taking a right turn as their path came to an end.

Exedere was as bustling as predicted. They were greeted at the door by the owner; a wizard with black hair, a man so pale that Lucius would almost have sworn that he was a vampire. Only the dead, or undead, carried a such a pallor.

"Mr Malfoy," he said with a careful smile, looking to Lucius' side at Millicent "Good afternoon, Madam."

Before there were any clever-mouthed questions about the nature of his relationship to Millicent Lucius shook the man's hand, several gold coins passing in a practiced movement. The man had crafted himself a clever niche, knowing that his clientele on the whole prefered their privacy, and his silence. He wasn't foolish enough not to name his price.

"A table for two, then" the man said, again with his measured little smile.

Lucius stepped back to allow Millicent to pass ahead of him, to follow their host into the restaurant.

[mrs_morsus]

Millicent felt the familiar itch of her palm aching for her wand. The owner or Maitre de of this establishment appeared as if he might foist an inappropriate comment upon either her or Lucius. Millicent’s own lust for the man did nothing to confer rights of discussion on others, particularly others who where servants. While her expression changed not at all, if this Knockturn lowlife presumed to insult her he might not live to regret it.

Instead, Lucius and the man shook hands and he desisted from comment and showed them to their table. Millicent followed their host with great attention to the surroundings, the host’s mannerisms and the private nature of the place. Now that he had shown his ability to be circumspect, it might be that the Exedere would be useful to Millicent in the future. Their table was satisfactory and placed so that their conversation would not be easily overheard. Yes, that was most satisfactory. She was inordinately curious as to why Lucius had invited her to this luncheon. She assumed it was about his candidacy, but she would not be certain until he broached the subject.

She settled in at the table and waited until their host had slithered away; his pale visage turning to measure the mettle of the next guests at the door.

“What do you recommend, Lucius?” she asked politely, leaving the menu untouched in front of her. She might or might not be referring to lunch.

[vincere_aut_mor]

The table was quite suitable, and Lucius was pleased to see that the gold had securely fixed their host's tongue into place. It had been so much easier in the days of light threats.

Lucius waited whilst Millicent was seated by the host, and sat down himself.

Millicent was a most intriguing young lady. For all the experience and skill of his former Death Eater colleagues, it was she more than any of them that he failed to understand. Of course she held the same views as any of them, but there wasn't a single witch or wizard who could safely claim that their only desire for power was to achieve balance. There would be something she wanted, out of all of this.

Luicus glanced down at his own menu, unfolding it to remind himself of preferred dishes here. He ate at restaurants with far too greater regularity to remember favourites at each.

"The smoked salmon, white wine and vodka fettuccine is very pleasant, though perhaps a little heavy," he didn't want Millicent to spend the rest of the day feeling as though she'd been stuffed full, and besides, the dish would take more attention to eat than he wanted to give.

"The Chicken Scallopini, an excellent dish," he put down his menu, and picked up the wine list "and of course, a glass of the Chianti Classico Santa Cristina will compliment it perfectly."