::M RATED:: All The Right Friends (Marty)

It was not often that Dominic called on Fifi personally, the nature of her time spent outside the office was held in something of a truce that she would come when called and he would not require to venture within the tall white building where her apartment was located. Desperate times however called for more invasive measures, Fifi had really messed up this time and the egg was all over his face when he was forced to entertain the concerns of the English Minister. 'Friends' though they appeared on the surface it was no question that below was the traditional strain between 'mother England' and her most bitter of old rivals. Dominic did not enjoy being made a fool of and while he had at times indulged to allow Fifi her whims this was not going to be one of them. Plans where made and instructions given that she would be ready for the automobile to arrive promptly at 9am to meet Mr Brasher in person to apologize for her behavior.

Heated though the words where Fifi was in a sense lucky for knowing that while Nicci did not approve of Clevon 'Old Ronnie' was a soft touch and so working on autopilot she made ready to dress and leaving Alvin to deal with the mess of her apartment after a month of locked doors she was shocked to feel the fresh air chilling her face as she made the quick walk from the doorway into the awaiting darkness of the awaiting automobile. The mood as the automobile set out was as cold as the weather outside as she sat and watched the blur of the countryside zooming past as the Ministers Magically Modified Bentley sped though the streets at a speed even a Top Gear presenter would no doubt describe as astronomical. Even as land ran out and the Bentley tilted towards the sea Fifi was unmoved, staring fixedly at the seat in front of her she half hoped they would sink to the bottom of the channel as with a cloud of bubbles following it the car plunged into the sea, the view out the windows proving a murky picture as the car drove onwards towards land, it was too wet and cold for anyone to care much as a white Bentley heaved it's way out of the ocean and drove across the sand and onto the slipway, home in England again it picked up speed blowing off the remains of sea weed under the grey sky. Fifi herself felt it was rather appropriate in keeping with her less then cheerful mood.

In her own thoughts she only nodded the briefest of greetings as the automobile stopped outside the Ministry of Magic to admit the Minister himself, surprisingly he climbed into the car rather then waiting for Fifi to get out. Where it not for her mood Fifi might well have questioned their destination but instead she sat in silence as the Minister inquired about her health and if there had been any new developments in the department that he was allowed to be made aware of. It was hard to feel ill at ease with Clevon, he was the kind of man who called others 'chaps' and expected the very best of everyone. Fifi considered him a ally against Nicci and so she resolved to explain herself only to be caught short as he directed her to wait while the Bentley slowed to stop. The weather really was quite bad as the door opened, a glance told her they where outside a hotel so she assumed it would be one of Clevon's old friends... little did she expect it to be one of her own!

The letter was 'interesting', considering Marty never had the chance to meet the British Minister of Magic during the Wizarding World Games. Though he did get to witness several excellent matches as well as manage to view a few of the various competitions of the Muggle version of world games that were going on while he was there, Marty never did make it to the soiree as no one ever came to pick him up for it. No one being one Fifi LaRoux. Since it was a wizarding event, Marty had no idea how to find the locale on his own nor did he feel like showing up alone to a room full of complete strangers.

So, he did what any Muggle would do when that happens. Spent the night sitting in his hotel room, in his tux, watching reruns of Top Gear (UK, of course, the only true Top Gear) all night. One particular episode did amuse him, considering he'd just been reading some files on seagoing vehicles of the V-12 variety in the most recent issue of Wizarding Mechanics, a recent subscription of his that had been a gift from the Vincent siblings for his birthday. Then flew home after and locked himself in his apartment for the weekend with his studies.

He'd been pretty much keeping to himself, so much so that the Vincent twins were trying to make excuses to get him to join them after work, to no avail. Marty had even quit checking his edition of the journal when no additional messages had appeared. So he was a bit surprised at the letter but made necessary preparations and ended up in England, none the worse for the wear after his first Floo journey.

At the appointed hour, one properly dressed Martin Harper was waiting at the front of The Langham for the arrival of one white Bentley. When the doorman opened the door, Marty slid into the available seat and began to greet the passengers. "Good morning, sir and....... "

He paused, disbelieving the sight of his own eyes, afraid it was just wishful thinking. "Fifi, good to see you," he finished then settling back as the vehicle began traveling again.

"Dominic is no doubt still smarting from the beating at the Wizarding World Games" Clevon said with a small chuckle to himself. "Now come come my Dear, do not fret I am sure Dominic was quite short with his words".. a small frown turned his lips as Fifi just turned her head to the window, Clevon sighed.. women where not his strong suit and none came as finicky as Fifi LaRoux. Underneath his concern was anticipation with a hint of curiosity about the gentleman who it seemed had fallen into the middle of a web of deceit, scandal, double crossing and international politics. Clevon knew that his intel did not have the full picture but he felt himself comforted to have a few cards up his own sleeve, the matter of confirmation was all that remained and what better excuse then friendship? How fortunate it was that Fifi would have allied herself with this man and allow a perfectly innocent excuse to kill two mysteries with one stone. All in good faith of course!

For Fifi it didn't matter what Dominic nor Clevon where up to, she did not care if The Dark Lord himself had re-arisen for this day was grey and her heart was heavy with thoughts of what she had done and become. Behind her dark glasses Fifi stared out the window trying not to be moved by the city of London but if there was something always able to emit a reaction there was nothing better then the familiar voice of one Marty Harper. Fifi stiffened, her hand gripping Clevon's knee was no longer polite but painful as nails bit into the poor mans skin. It was suicide to use a portkey in such a small enclosed space but instinct made Fifi reach for the chain around her neck.. only to find nothing as Nicci had ever so politely palmed the object during the argument the night before. A stream of curses flew from Fifi's mouth, in French thankfully for the polite ears of her company as she wished hell upon hell towards one Dominic Benoit for tricking her in such a cruel way. It was unbelievable, Fifi was sure that her first suspicions about Nicci where correct and Marty was stepping into his doom the moment he entered the car. Had Clevon not been beside her she could have warned him away or done something but instead she tried to think of something to say. "Hello.. Marty" the words felt wrong to be coming from her mouth, fake against the dread in the pit of her stomach even as Clevon leaned over to offer Marty a enthusiastic handshake "So very good to meet you at last Mr Harper, I do hope you where not taxed too much by your stay?" he asked as Winkles the house elf driver resumed their journey to 9 3/4 Downing Street.

Fifi just hoped that wherever they where going Nicci would do it quickly. There was so much she wanted to say to Marty.. not the lease to apologize for every wrong, despicable or unsavory thing she had done in her time and yet she could hardly utter a word of her thoughts with Clevon hanging on every word. Eyes fixed on her lap Fifi knew she should be alert to the movements of the car, keeping track of the turns and views out the window so as to prepare, yet the grim certainty left her unwilling to meet her fate, if Clevon had a part in this then he too had betrayed her, and none could be more dangerous then Clevon who could very well expose the one secret Fifi held most dear - herself.

Oh this trip was going sooooooooo smoothly, that is until Marty left the quiet, serene interior of the bustling hotel lobby and got in the Bentley. Then, the atmosphere became reminiscent on two awkward teenagers on a blind date at their prom with the only other person at their table being the principal. Makes for great involved discussion. Marty wasn't sure what Fifi would do when he saw her again. He had no idea why she never showed up to take him to the events or the by-invitation-only cocktail affair. But he was grateful that at least his room for that trip was comfortable, considering how much time he spent in it the night of the soiree, dressed and waiting. However, Marty was not crazy enough to think he could just slip into the wizarding world and fit in which was why he figured Fifi did not arrive, so he would not embarrass himself or her and Dominic there. That was fine, but he missed the unexpected messages that also had ceased to come.

Marty was nothing if not smooth.. in other words, he was not smooth so he gave the perfect answer (not!) to Fifi's greeting, "Hello, Fifi," totally unaware of her concerns that Dominic was out to do away with them or Brashear's own manuveurings. "Good to see you," he added, before turning his attention back to the prime minister. "So the magically modified vehicle is not a myth," he stated, adding "Seaweed stuck to the rear fender as I got in," he explained. Marty had to grin a bit and told the Prime Minister. "I had to make four trips to Fire Island and the Riviera over the past few years to investigate strange sightings of luxury vehicles coming out of the ocean." Apparently, someone liked romantic getaways where he wasn't as well known as the British Isles.

Fifi had thought that if anything was going to make her immune to caring it would be the one night stand with Dunena Reid, and yet as she watched Marty come to sit within the plush confines of the ministers automobile it was as if none of the horrible, disgusting things she had done even mattered. Glancing at Marty Fifi tried to read his expression for any clue of the disapproval she felt deserving of after her poor treatment of her friend. Was there a new hint of coldness when he spoke to her or was it just her imagination. "Je ne pas supporter cette..."* she whispered quickly under her breath eliciting a unwanted glance from Clevon. She wished she could let go of the horrible feeling that Clevon was planning something and in Fifi's experience this was never a good thing. Worse was having Marty here to witness her shame, she could feel Clevon's possessive hand on her leg even as she tried to pretend it was simply to reassure herself from the shock of seeing the most unlikely figure to ever be a guest to the UK Ministry of Magic. Though on second thoughts she wondered why when Marty seemed to have overtaken herself at being the jewel in Dominic's eye.

"It is good to see you too." Fifi wanted to say so much more, that she was sorry for all the times she had not been there and been what she had always known herself to be - a disastrous piece of merde, a whore, a tramp.. there was not enough bad words to describe her and yet another sprung to mind as she realised Marty was no longer paying her mind but talking to Clevon - replaced! So this was Dominic's game? Fifi didn't know if she should be relieved or furious as Clevon first looked puzzled and then let out a hearty chuckle as Marty explained his unusual observation.
"Mark my word my Miss Fifi did inform me that you where a keen intellect and indeed I find her most correct!" Behind her glasses Fifi glared at Clevon, she had said no such thing! Yet it didn't take much to guess that the real opinion came from Dominic who seemed to have taken to seeing Marty as some kind of new and exotic pet.

Dominic was clearly not the only one to be amused by Marty, Clevon had been taken aback by the question until a explanation came forward "Ah most well reasoned, are you sure one of your parents are not a wizard by any chance? While Clevon did admire Muggles for their curiosity he did still have some old fashioned leanings that one could not be a true intellectual without some level of magical learning. "While tradition would state that one would travel in a vegetable carriage it is wholly unsuitable for long journeys and of course with so many Muggles around it is unfortunate that such things would not blend in so well as one might hope. I believe it was ones great uncles-cousin thrice removed on the mothers side who first contracted to improve automobiles to be more..suitable, after all what is the point of travel if one cannot fit a well stocked bar and dining hall? Of course while you Muggles did create all manner of ingenious means to get from A to B we find a more.. direct path." Clevon explained as the magically modified Bentley made it's way though the peak hour traffic without so much as a single red light. Fifi however did not find the topic of conversation even remotely interesting until Marty boasted about the Riviera.. was he insane? Fifi knew Marty was not a man of the world yet she found him at times utterly stupid, and none was more so then admitting to know about Clevon's little secrets. "This topic does bore me" Fifi stated pushing her glasses down just enough to let her expression of disdain towards Clevon be shown. "Ma puce why do you not explain to Marty why you did so dearly wish to make his acquittance?" Fifi was sick of the games and figured that if they where to be in trouble they should at least know why.


*I cannot stand this

Marty was nervous to see Fifi. Was she bored with him? Did she no longer consider him a friend? He resisted the urge to chew the inside of his lip from nervousness and focused on the fact the car was magical. That was it. It was just part of his work and since he had investigated the car when it showed up on the Riveria, to no avail at the time since it had been handled by someone's Department of Muggle Affairs, it was something he at least could discuss without coming off like a complete idiot in front of the highest ranking wizard in the UK and Fifi, who was even more prestigious, well, at least where Marty was concerned.

That is until Clevon's words that he said Fifi had referred to Marty as "a keen intellect". "Really?" he asked with astonishment clear in his voice. "Me? You think that about .... " Marty began to ask Fifi, looking directly at her with a mixture of happiness and surprise on his face, just before he turned a rather darling shade of red. "Err.. I mean, thank you," he managed to stumble out, looking down at his folded hands in his lap and wondering if perhaps the car was magical enough to swallow him up in his current embarrassment. So much for finesse and fitting in he thought. Fifi probably now thought him an idiot.

When the minister asked if his parents were wizard at all, Marty shook his head. No, there had been no weird events during his upbringing. Neither of his parents ever seemed to be anything but Muggle. "I'm afraid not. The closest I'd ever seen to a wizard in our family was my Great Uncle Cadwalleder. He was from here actually. A small place in northern England. I don't remember the name of it. Came to the states back in the late 1890's. Could be strange at times."

At Fifi's request to change the topic, Marty blushed a bit again. "Sorry, I get talking about work and forget it's a somewhat boring topic to most others," he apologized to her sheepishly. Though he was glad Fifi asked the 'burning question' of the day. He, too, wondered why the invitation had come. Of course, he had no thoughts that it might be to do away with them both as Fifi did.

Fifi had once thought there to be no greater agony then the Crucio curse, that was a very long time ago and yet she felt her fingers clench at the awkward situation she had found herself in as Marty looked at her and she looked at Clevon. Both looked so pleased and yet she couldn't bring herself to put her name to Dominic's words. A tender trap he had lead her in to as she lowered her eyes to avoid having to admit that she had never said what Clevon had spoken. Certainly she had mentioned Marty to him when pressed by questions she wished more then anything else that nobody knew about her Muggle friend. Assuming he still was amongst the very select few to be considered as such. Clevon had once been one Fifi considered a friend and now she hated him almost as much as Nicci for putting her in this situation. For a moment she was tempted to open her mouth and let out the words she had truly spoken.. that she did not care for Marty's mind as much as his seeming inability to see the worst in her. You would think with all the pages of scandalous gossip written about her over the years in the Wizarding press he would be less likely to want to associate with her and yet here he was.. Fifi felt the heat of the car was drowning her as she wondered if she wasn't wrong entirely.. after all Marty had seemed just as surprised to see her as vice versa.

No matter how many times Marty had tried to reassure her she couldn't help the paranoia that Nicci was grooming him to be her replacement, why else would he be here if Nicci had not had a hand in it? Fifi had all but forgotten the joyful conversation that had lead to the invitation for Marty to join her, Nicci and Clevon at the Wizarding World Games.. such times where as remote as the sun which even now hid beyond a veil of rain clouds. Instead it felt the safest option was to play indifference, maybe if Clevon thought that Marty and herself where no longer friends he might report such to Nicci and allow Marty to go on to live a quiet Muggle life unaware of herself and all the needless complications she had brought to his life. At least Clevon was enjoying himself, a know it all turn of smile at Marty's answer "oh Really? How grand!" Fifi didn't belive for a minute that Clevon was truly interested in Marty's history and yet she realised how rude it was that she had never ever taken any interest herself beyond her initial investigation in a attempt to find out everything she could about him and Smoking Llama.

Questions where always a afterthought and while she felt like she'd kicked a dog when she stopped Marty from talking about the automobiles that no doubt intrigued him she wished nothing more then to explain her fears that there was more going on then a simple roadtrip. It seemed that for all the mood of the Bentley Clevon was utterly immune as he chucked "I do apologies my dear, you must find this topic dreadfully dour but it is so rare that we have visitors who are from the less.. magically able as those fellows at Muggles United keep insisting upon" change had come swiftly in Europe after the wars and sometimes it was hard to remember a time before the M word was common knowledge. Difficult as it was to ignore the rudeness of his companion Clevon would not have shamed her by pretending anything other then to ignore her less then loving term of endearment. "All in good time ma mie" he proclaimed as the Bentley came to a stop at a door very much beside that of the famous London address. The fact tha said door hadn't been there moments before had little effect on the guards on duty as the came to assist their guests out of the car and into the lobby of the Ministers private abode. "Welcome.. Welcome!" Clevon stated as he turned for Fifi and Marty to catch up, Fifi sighed wishing herself to be anywhere else but there was nothing for it and she gave Marty a shrug before awkwardly climbing out of the Automobile and following the Minister into 9 1/4 Downing Street. It was no doubt going to be a full tour and she had been here enough times to be uninterested in the moving portraits of former Ministers and a brief amusing rundown of the changes that had been made after the war including the treaty that had lead to the establishment of the new head of the magical world being symbolically good neighbors to their Muggle counterparts. Not caring for the tour there was only one thing Fifi wanted to do and that was to take Marty's hand... if only for a moment to let him know that for all the horror of the journey here she was truly glad to see him.

Marty was a bit surprised when the Minister of Magic seemed to express a genuine interest in the information about Marty's Great Uncle Cadwalleder but he guessed that in a position such as Clevon's, it was almost as important to let people feel you were interested as being up to date on all the latest going ons around the world. There wasn't much more time to consider alternate reasons for the interest as the Bently pulled up in front of nothing. Strike that, make that in front of a suddenly appearing doorway. Marty had seen this occur a couple of other times, when he was in Paris the first time but it was still a bit unsettling to him. It left a feeling that you weren't sure what you were seeing or if you were seeing anything at all. Judging from the guards and Fifi's reactions, or better to say lack of one, Marty was sure you eventually got used to the sudden appearance of an address where there had been none but he was not yet at that point.

Marty stepped out of the Bently after Clevon but instead of immediately following the Minister, turned and offered a hand to Fifi who was now stepping out herself, smiling a bit shyly at her and, yes, afraid of her rejecting the offer. Needless to say he was both surprised and elated when it seemed, she was acceptable to the idea of holding his hand as they made their way to the front entrance where the Minister of Magic had waited for them to catch up.

The niggling feeling in her stomach only grew worse as the automobile arrived at it's location. Fifi was thankful for a moment that her impractical choice out outfit meant a brief window in which to avoid the Minister's eye but instead of the guard's hand she looked up to find Marty holding her, Fifi tried to remember if this had ever happened before.. maybe when she had first met the man in some small forgettable town a year ago... Regardless she was unsure of what to do, did Marty suspect what she felt? That they where about to go from the pan and into the fire just as much as to cross the threshold from the every day to the magical surrounds of the Minister's private abode. Fifi pretending not to notice the sweaty heat of another persons hand touching hers.. something that even now made her skin crawl a little as they made their way down the first of many such corridors. Hungry and sore from the walking Fifi did not at all pay attention until they where at least brought to Clevon's office and offered a seat which scooted over to them before settling into place.

"Now no doubt my dear you are famished...." it was unclear if Clevon was talking to Fifi or Marty but either way she narrowed her eyes at the Minister warning him that Marty was not going to be another of the Minister's little play things. She had claim before all others and even as Nicci might try she would not have Marty fall in with the soft and tepette Minister. Polite and well spoken Clevon might have been the fact that he had not risen to the Ministry though battle nor carried the blood of anyone during the troubled times of the Wizarding World War meant that there was a degree of respect he would never have when compared to Nicci. "Really Clevon.. you request moi personally and cause no end of trouble only to ask about my diet?" Cutting the Minister off she ignored her own pangs of hunger, she would not eat unless it was in her advantage to.. food was a weakness and she was unsure that it would be wise when simply the thought of New York was enough to make her nauseous all over again.

"Very well, Marty no doubt it may seem a odd custom but one does not discuss important matters on a empty stomach..." hanging from the roof to his desk was a small silver bell which when rung brought forth a assortment of house elves set to prepare a four course brunch for the Minister and his guests. Nobody went into politics if they didn't have a keen interest in listening to their own voice and enjoying big meals, Clevon was no different and enjoying nothing more then insisting the pair where given the very best in hospitality, one never knew when one's guests would prove valuable, and Clevon's intelligence was enough to suggest that the Muggle man was very valuable indeed.. even more so for the suggestions of familiarity between the American Muggle and France's most difficult Hit Wizard, one Fifi LaRoux. But today was not about international relations as much as more personal affairs. Clevon had heard the news of The Smoking Llama's involvement in trying to assassinate the young man and for Clevon there was no question that it took a lot more then one woman to bring about such a reaction. Helping himself to the best picks of the roasted quail, toasted turtle and assorted delicacies Clevon was not shy of using his hands, a fact that repulsed Fifi who after waiting for the others to chose their helpings allowed herself only the smallest amount of caviar on dry toast. It stuck in her throat as Clevon belched, “You see Mr Harper it is not often that a man such as yourself becomes aware of our world, this organisation that you worked for helped immensely to ensure people of your kind never came to find that ours existed...” Fifi wondered how Marty would take being talked down to in such a way, her dislike of Clevon was growing with every moment that he held out on why he had really brought them here.

After the sudden appearance of the not-there-before address, the scooting chairs and suddenly appearing meal did not really rattle Marty that much. Funny, but not much rattled him since that night in Paris and his sudden not hitting the Seine River. Mostly, his science-oriented mind took over with that inquisitive wondering how it happened thought process at sudden events. Thanks to the studying he had been doing for his Level I and II tests, he was even able to name the spell used a decent amount of the time.

Settling himself in the chair, it was not hard for Marty to feel a sense of 'friction' between Fifi and Clevon but he wasn't sure why. The way she spoke, Marty almost thought he sensed a bit of jealousy in the tenor of her voice but he knew that couldn't be right. What would there be for her to be jealous over? Nothing he could think of. Marty had seen that Fifi was not one to desire positions like Nicci or Clevon had so it couldn't be that.

At the offer of food, Marty thanked the Minister of Magic and took a bit of the toast that was on the plate the the caviar. He really wasn't hungry at the moment but wanted to be polite. As they settled in, and Clevon began speaking to him, Marty heard a somewhat 'familiar old song', similiar to discussions he had with Dominic at the beginning. Somehow, Clevon's tone seemed to be as one talking to one of 'lesser blood' though not quite as condescending as the purebloods of old addressing house elves.

The more the Minister prattled on, the more hairs were raising on the back of Marty's neck. He set the plate with the toast back on the table they were settled around. "Stop right there, sir," Marty interrupted, keeping his voice as polite as possible. "I didn't seek out your kind," slightly giving it the same bit of inflection that Clevon had used when referring to Muggles just a moment ago, "But I did discover and learn and I'm still working at keeping it all a secret from the Muggle world. If you have called me here, just to retell me what I already know, then I'm not sure we really have anything to disc....."

Before Marty could continue, he heard a voice that came from somewhere in the room but not either of the other two sitting there with him. "You tell him, lad! That'll teach you to underestimate Cadwallader's great-nephew." Marty blinked and looked around the room to find one of the portraits giving the lecture to the Minister.

One of the first things Fifi had learned about the upper crust of society was that behind closed doors the more opulent where prone to a whole manner of perversions. Watching Clevon glut himself on delicately cooked pieces of pigeon was enough to remind Fifi that as much as she cherished access to the beauty that came from surrounding herself with the rich and powerful the witches and wizards with whom she found herself freely associating with where all knifing, back stabbing and oft poor mannered to boot... Fifi was a firm believer that you saw the truth of people when at the dinner table. The sitting room was comfortable and overly warm to Fifi who sat stiffly, unable to relax with a audience of both Marty and Clevon. The worst was that Fifi was unsure that she could have let her guard down even had it been just one of them. Together was a impossible situation which was not made any easier by the boys club aspect of Clevon's world view and the English approach to cooking which though not as crass as the American still lacked in many respects by being too heavy, salty and in the case of toast.. dry. Hiding her discomfort as best she could Fifi took a glass of white wine to ease her throat.. which was just as well because it stopped her choking complacently when Marty interrupted the Minster.. well she supposed it was only right that this farce should end in an argument. Eyeing both men Fifi felt herself unnecessary to the conversation and with a quiet apology fled the room using the wine and the long journey as a much needed excuse.

Clevon was polite enough to stand at Fifi's exit but was bemused at this Mr Harper, maybe it was the American side that made him so bloody argumentative? "Nonsense!.." but Clevon had barely opened his mouth when a new voice entered the conversation. A pained expression of deep annoyance overtook the Minister's face at the overenthusiastic room decorations. Clevon might well have been a traditionalist but even he had his limits which was why he was often known to complain that one could hardly break from the past when it was forever looking over his shoulder and giving him unwanted advice to boot! "Yes we where just getting to that thank you" Clevon's buttery voice had curdled when he spoke, the subject a panting of one of the more outspoken portrates from days of yore. A sigh escaped the Minister, he was not well accustomed to speaking to non-magical people and given the delicate nature of discussion Clevon had been trying to broach the subject quite delicately.. "You see what I was trying to say was that most Muggles are quite happy to be totally oblivious of the world around you.. as no doubt are many of our own people for better or worse.. you Mr Harper are not that kind of person and while some might think it a matter of chance that you came to the attention of Smoking Llama and ourselves I myself do not believe in chance".

Nor did Clevon believe in trust which was why he nodded at the painting "I think it would be best if we keep this between ourselves.. you see as much as we like to consider ourselves enlightened in these days of relative prosperity there are still those who would wish this Ministry great harm.. both from within and from certain 'external factions'." Clevon was doing his best to be friendly, after all they where family but a certain matter of reservation was hard to shift. "The cold hard fact of the matter Mr Harper is that I and my Ministry take a rather dim view of certain renegade organisations trying to assassinate members of our own family".

This Clevon felt at least the troublesome painting could agree with.

Marty could sort of sense a feeling of discomfort from Fifi but she had been quiet most of the time in the car so he thought if she wanted to talk about it she would. Besides, he really didn't feel sitting here in front of the Minister of Magic for the UK would be the place to ask her if she was all right. He noticed she avoided the pigeon dish and that was one he avoided as well, considering the thoughts of pigeons in New York City really took away any consideration of the dish as appetizing.

Maybe he was being overly sensitive at the man's tone when it came to Marty's kind but he was tired of the condescending attitude that sometimes was obvious in different people. Granted, maybe it was just a habit and Clevon really didn't know he said things that way, or not. But Marty was tired of feeling more like an outsider than he already was. Ergo, the interruption, which was something he would not normally do. He wasn't quite sure what stopped the flow of his words, rising when Fifi stood to leave the room or the portrait jumping into the fray mentioning his great uncle. Before Marty could ask the man, er thing, er portrait how he knew Uncle Cadwalleder, Clevon replied to Marty's words. "I'm sorry, sir," Marty told him, a less forceful tone to his voice. "I know what it's like to have a renegade organization want to assassinate you and I wouldn't wish that on you or any of your family since, as you know, I too have dealt that that cold hard fact personally." Marty continued, "But why would you call me here over that? You don't think I would attempt that on a member of your family, do you?"

The portrait rolled his eyes and facepalmed, learned from some of the younger Brashire wizards and witches that visited their Uncle Clevon on holidays. "He doesn't know, Clevon!"

While the discussion in the room had gotten quite heated Fifi could not lose the chill in her heart as she hid in the water closet. Why did it feel like all the parts of her life where breaking free of the careful confines that she had made for them?

Inside the room Clevon noted that Mr Harper at least had some manners to apologise for the outburst.. though he sighed as the younger man managed to miss the crusp of the point. Clevon barely managed to open his mouth before the portrait butted in. "Well of course not you stupid antique! You would hardly expect him to be aware of the intricate nature of his family tree nor the fairies that live in the bottom of the family estate when little more then a year ago he would be considering us all quite insane for even suggesting that there was such a thing as a Minister for Magic nor indeed that said Minister's great grandfather was none other then the brother of Cadwallder here.. so you see Mr Harper you are no ordinary Muggle.. indeed some Wizarding theorists have put forward arguments that there is truly no such thing as Muggles but mealy many generations of Squibs who for one reason or another have lost their magical gift" Clevon of course did not believe in it of course as it was all far too untidy but he did his best to keep up with the current pop science in order to keep his 'man of the people' image.

'The People' of course being the more respectable party members who didn't find need to mob him with babies or uncomfortable questions. "So you see why I could be concerned when certain people have set about risking your life.. these.. Smoking Llamas as they call themselves". From a pocket in his robes the Minister took out a pipe and set about packing it as he nodded up at the painting "as far as we are aware there is no record of any magical Cadwallder's making it across the pond to the Colonies, where it not for the slight physical similarities in your file why we might never have known of it at all." For Wizards the idea of a smoke free zone was rather on the level of a magic free zone as Clevon lit his pipe, it helped him think plus he felt it gave him a distinguished air. "While the matter of your ancestry is quite a interesting bit of trivia the truth is that I wished to speak to you of other matters, you see one could never be too careful... not even with one's friends". The Minister's voice was low as the door opened and Fifi returned to the room shaken but doing the best to remain composed at the situation.

For those of you coming in late.. and for Marty should he ever look at these notes:

Clevon Brashire is the UK Minister of Magic.
Clevon's great great grandfather, Culpepper Brashire is a former Assistant Minister of Magic having been over looked for one time too many but that's a rant and story for another thread.
Culpepper had a sister, Chastity who married a Braxton and had a son Cadwalleder who was a wizard and a daughter, Charity who was a squib, ergo Culpepper's nephew and niece.
Charity married an American WWI Muggle Army Lieutant named Basil Harper which makes her Marty's grandmother and Cadwalleder Marty's Great Uncle. When Charity moved to America to begin a new life, Cadwalleder, who had begun to grow tired of the divisions among wizarding blood, soon abandoned life in the UK Wizarding World, stowed away on a tramp steamer, and lived the life the the odd Muggle Great Uncle in the colonies.
Which makes them cousins to Clevon. Great Uncle and Great Grandmother to Marty...

Which makes Marty and Clevon...

"Family?" Marty asked, completely stunned, looking back and forth between the portrait of Culpepper, who was now grinning at Marty, and Clevon who had just dropped the news on Marty with his comment. As Fifi entered in the midst of this revelation, Marty looked at her, shock evident on his face and his eyes seemed to plead with her to tell him this was all a hallucination or a dream or something. Oddly enough, it was more of a shock for him then when he found out there was a wizarding world. Marty was really grateful when Fifi did return. She was the one constant in all of this and her reappearance seemed to take some of the edge off the shock. She was a friend after all, at least Marty hoped they were... at least...

But back to the conversation at hand. Letting the information sink in, Marty listened to the rest of what the Minister was saying, nodding. "Slight similiarities, my magical arse," Culpepper voiced from the frame. "Look at the two of you!" he added with a cackle. In the meantime, Marty was trying to avoid distraction from the smell of the pipe tobacco. It wasn't a new scent to him. Uncle Cadwalleder had lit up his pipe many times on the front porch when visiting and it was the same scent as the tobacco Clevon was using.

However, even though they were related, Marty didn't feel comfortable calling Clevon 'Cuz' or even 'Clevon'. It was still sir.

"I understand, sir," he acknowledged as now he could see that it was the attempt on his life that the Minister was referring to. "If you wish, I can send you the information I have on my employer so far." After all, if they tried to kill Marty, would they already know about his family's link to the Minister? Marty had really begun to wonder if his hiring there those years ago was all that 'coincidental' now. He'd be stepping up his research on Victoria McQueen now. This he did not share though, instead waiting for Clevon to continue.

"Well yes, I mean you'll forgive me for any lack of Birthday cards and the like but it was traditional that Squibs as they are known where rarely spoken of.. to be born without magic was in itself a sign of weakness that many older families solved by well.... removing them all together. Nasty business but there you have it" Clevon was not going to apologise for the actions of his people just as he would not be expecting Martin's ancestors to explain themselves for the witch trials that had led to the death of many innocent Squibs and Muggles alike. In a way the whole thing was rather awkward, like the old joke the comfortable number of Wizards was always one, the matter of family was something of a inconvenience to Clevon.. certainly he enjoyed the occasions spent among relatives but it had always been rather a piece of mind to know the comings and goings of them all.. now there was a whole bunch of Muggle connections on the other side of the globe.. and who knew if any would emerge to be Wizards and Witches themselves? Clevon had a element of pity for the so called 'Muggleborns' to grow up unaware of your true nature was a most grievous thing.

"Quiet down Culpepper!" it was obvious that the painting did not get out much, Clevon wondered how they managed so long with the obvious security issues that came with walls that could talk.. quite literally.

Meanwhile Fifi had been trying to calm down, she felt terrible for abandoning Marty to deal with Clevon alone but it was clear that if anyone was in trouble it was liable to be all her doing. Little did she know how true that was as she walked in to hear Marty offering to give over the intelligence he had risked his life to collect to the English! So that had been Clevon's play all along? "Bâtard!" Fifi might have been shaken but that didn't stop her from defending Marty from what she assumed to be a ploy for the Minister to use him just like Dominic had before him. "Ai should have known..." she stopped short of slapping him, not because he was the Minister but for her own foolishness.. she had tried to warn Marty long ago to stay away from people like Clevon but it seemed the more she tried to keep him safe the more he was involved.

"Ai am sorry Marty.. Ai just.. do not think that Ai am a very good person today.." she couldn't meet his eye, nor that of the Minister.. the room itself was too small and crowded. Fifi was well known for her disappearing tricks but there was no trick in it as she left the room, she needed some air and just being in the room with the two men was not helping at all.

Clevon couldn't help but go a little red in the face to be insulted by a woman he was really quite fond of, he knew she was trouble but the exact nature of her problems where a closly guarded secret. "I'm sorry Mr Harper.. any information you wish to share would of course be of use but there is something far more valuable.. this must remain a secret, Miss LaRoux must not know.. so too can your friends in the Ministry never hear of it... I am rather fond of Miss LaRoux and fear she would take it all rather badly..." Clevon just had to hope that there was a way to selvage the trust between himself and the french woman. Merlin only knew what could happen where Fifi LaRoux to pull away from him all together.

Marty nodded as Clevon commented on the lack of cards between them. "Yes, well, it's not like any were sent from our side either, not that anyone knew but then..." Really what could Marty say since it seemed his family knew none of this. Though when Clevon told the painting to pipe down and Marty took that opportunity to look at the portrait and saw the resemblance there as well. He looked back to Clevon with a raised eyebrow and asked, "So I guess that makes me related to him as well?" Obviously, Marty had not had an opportunity to read the flashback recap yet.

Unfortunately, it was at the moment Marty was offering to assist the Minister in investigating the attempt on Marty's own life that Fifi walked back in. Also, unfortunately, she blew up and walked out before she could hear Marty reply to the Minister's acceptance with his own request of "I will be glad to share but I also would like to receive anything you have on these people so far or find out..." Partially glad of the fact that Fifi's anger was directed at Clevon rather than him, Marty responded to her apology to him with a "You ..." but she left before he could finish.

So, he also excused himself for a moment and went out into the hall to see if he could find Fifi with Culpepper yelling in the background, "Go get her Marty! She's gorgeous!" Culpepper didn't get out much but he had taste.

Marty knew she could disappear faster than the blink of an eye if she wanted to and he hoped she had not. Fifi was still there and just down the hall so Marty walked towards her, still giving Fifi her space but close enough so she could hear him. "Fifi, it's okay. One of the reasons he wanted to see us is because.. Well, apparently I'm some sort of cousin to the Minister. I'm not sure how it all works out but he's family. But, I feel so out of my depth in there, even with family. If you feel up to rejoining us, I'd like that but if not, I understand, too." He waited a moment to see if she would respond.

Clevon broke a smile, it seemed that the boy had the family sense of humour at least. "For better or worse" Clevon replied with a nod, yes for better or worse they where all related and would have to deal with the consequences one way or another. Said consequences where almost immediate as Fifi returned and gave him a earful. Clevon just hoped Martin would follow his advice.. as attractive as Fifi LaRoux might be she was also a firecracker ready to go off at the slightest provocation. Clevon just had to hope that Mr Harper knew what he was doing.

Apparently not..........

Fifi didn't know what was wrong with her, her heard was splitting and it was like everything was crumbing around her.. nothing was solid and everything she knew seemed to always be in flux, reshaping faster then she could make sense of it. The only constants she had was the foppish good angel and the sly devil.. Marty and Dominic.. apart from them and her dog and her elf there was nothing she could hold onto.. no one she could trust.. and even they where not trustworthy. Stopping at the end of the hall Fifi leaned against it to cool down. Footsteps behind her she waited and blinked away a tear as she heard Marty speak up. It wasn't okay, nothing was okay after what she had done. If only he knew, if only she could come out and say what she had done.. but would he be able to forgive her? Pushing her sunglasses aside Fifi felt calmer just to listen to Marty's voice.. what he spoke about at first didn't matter until he mentioned the Minister.. her mind did a quick backchat.. wait.. was Marty saying he was related to Clevon? That didn't make any sense, Fifi had gone right though all the files at her disposal when Marty had first come across her path. There had been nothing there about him being related to the Brashire's... but then the painting....... their eyes.. "So that is it then?.. Typical American.. all this time you where supposed to be working with us and now you switch sides because he say's he's your cousin or some conneries?"

"Je t'encule Marty Harper if you think you understand!.. fuck you and your whole family" Tears and drama, that was what it all boiled down to in the end as she walked off, faster this time. Men where all the same to say that they understood, but how could he understand her when every time she had tried to explain he had ignored her fears and gone against them? Fifi was tired of trying to do the right thing.. turning back she couldn't help but express one last thing "OH.. and Marty?.. I fucked Dunena Reid too and it was good.." Well at least she had done that right, if Marty was going to hate her he would have all the ammunition he would need.

One thing Marty had learned with Fifi, never expect a reaction. Expect several possibilities and then expect that all of those would be wrong. Once again, he was right for he never expected her to think that it was a con or a ruse or whatever it was she was thinking. One other thing Marty had learned was don't respond in anger so he remained calm, though he wasn't a good actor enough to hide the hurt that shone from his eyes at her words. "I'm sorry you feel that way," he said quietly as she tore into him with her words and walked off.

Then she turned around and added one last thing. Marty didn't know why it hurt so bad to hear it but it did. He didn't hate her but he felt as if something might break inside. "Oh," was all he said, so quiet she might have missed it. What could he say, it wasn't like he had any claims on her. Really, you couldn't have claims on someone as free spirited as Fifi. "I don't know what you want me to say but I don't own you. You are free to do as you wish. Just... You are my friend. I hope you want to be..." Marty was not good with words. "I'd like it if you were there with me so I don't make mistakes but if you choose not to be, I can't force you." Marty turned as well to head back into the room with Clevon, letting Fifi decided what she wanted to do.

Fifi had been long chosen for her talent to be able to hurt someone without thought and without regret. While she did not brandish a wand her words where enough to strike out in self defense.. even when she did not entirely understand why it was always easier to attack then to show weakness. The fact that she had slept with Dunena Reid was just another weapon to use against Marty, she knew well enough that she was desirable and while Marty had never made a move to show it she was sure just the hint that she had been with someone else would hurt.. he was a man after all and men where easy to play and break when the game grew tired. "You made a mistake the moment you met me Marty Harper.. I am not some nice girl and these people are not part of a nice world.. but do not fret Ai am sure you will do just fine.. you always do." Turning her back on him was hard, anger made it easier and so she stalked away into the light drizzle, grey on grey as dark as her mood.

---

"I'll bet you fifty galleons he does.." The door had barely closed when Culpepper started up again. Clevon rubbed his eyes, so much for his elegant plan.. good intentions and all had turned out not so great all round. "Don't be ridiculous you old goat, Martin would never be so foolish to...." the words died from his lips as the door opened again, Clevon sighed and offered a seat "I can see from your face that you decided to disregard my advice. Tea?" a flick of his hand gestured to the teapot and cups which rose and started to organise themselves with preparing the suitable beverage for the recently dumped struck out. "Very good on the moral grounds but I'm afraid not so good on the timing.. well except that as much as I admire Miss LaRoux I am concerned about her wellbeing and even more concerned with the events of the last two years, Dominic I know has been very hard on the poor girl but he at least knows her about as well as anyone can. I consider myself lucky to understand maybe half as much after ten years.

How well do you know Miss LaRoux Mr Harper?" There was a slight edge of accusation to Clevon's voice, it was hard to ignore that he had tried his damdest to make this whole thing work only to have it all blow up in his face because the younger man assumed he knew better then Clevon himself.

No, Marty wasn't able to school himself to hide anything completely from Clevon or Culpepper when he walked back into the room. He somehow realized that somewhere between finding out they were related and coming back into the room that he had come to think of Culpepper as a person rather than a portrait. He managed to hear the last sentence from the portrait as he re-entered the room and giving a wry smile at the ancestor hanging on the wall, simply said, "I'm not sure what you're betting on Uncle Culpepper but I think you may have lost?" At Clevon's words, Marty shrugged, "Sorry," nodding at the Minister's offer of tea, although a shot of something might have helped numb whatever pain was there. He took a few moments to drink some of the tea as Clevon explained his concern for Fifi.

However, Marty almost choked on the tea he had drank when Clevon asked that question in that tone. "Not that well!" Marty blurted out before settling back again and adding, "She was in a bit of difficulty when I met her. I helped her out, drove her back to the nearest town and didn't see her again for several months till that rally in New York. I think you pretty much know the rest. We were friends... I thought we were friends but..." Yes, Marty really wasn't sure now what to think but did what he knew how to do when something bothered him, delve into a problem and work for a solution. "But that's not what you asked me here to discuss and we should get back to that."

While Culpepper was basking over his rather hollow victory (after all what was the point of a small fortune if you where unable to spend it) Clevon was stuck with the rather awkward situation of trying to cheer up his most recently acquainted relative after what must have been quite the verbal bashing from the French femme fatale. The idea of Clevon giving advice about any woman was laughable but he had to feel that with out help there would be nobody but Dominic to guide that young woman... no doubt to disastrous results. Still Clevon couldn't help a small chuckle as the poor man turned very red in the face. "Nothing to be embarrassed about old chap, still a pity.. Miss LaRoux can be a quite charming companion" No doubt it was in poor taste to just come out and admit that he too had seen a bit more of Fifi LaRoux then was purely above board but in truth Clevon did not really swing that way. It didn't mean that he couldn't appreciate a beautiful woman from time to time though.

Listening to the explanation Clevon had to wonder about how unlikely it all seemed, everything he knew of Fifi LaRoux was that she was a high flier, older men would only interest her if they had something she wanted and never had he known her to have a male friend who hadn't made their way into her bed at some point. "The truth of the matter Mr Harper is that had you known Miss LaRoux in that way you would still find yourself in the situation you are in now.. while Miss LaRoux may have no qualms about her body her mind is very much a different matter". It was clear the subject bothered the other man, the awkward attempt to change the subject. "Very well, the cusp of it is that over the last twelve months Miss LaRoux has been more erratic then her usual self, Dominic no doubt will tell you that Miss LaRoux has always been rather difficult but I am concerned that while it is true that Dominic is very fond of Miss LaRoux.. as indeed we all are, I believe he may have taken it a bit too far." Clevon sighed, once upon a time he had actually considered Dominic to be a friend, but politics meant that friendships rarely lasted. "No doubt you have read of the second wizarding war as part of your studies? Both Miss LaRoux and Dominic are products of that war for better or worse.. a terrible time, one could hardly tell friend from foe... and there was heavy casualties.. too many casualties..." Clevon sighed, people had too easily accused him of being 'soft' for not having a fighting role during the troubled times, but that didn't make it any easier nor the loss of friends and family any less.

"Miss LaRoux has no family, as far as we know they either fled or where murdered by ones called Death Eaters after the war ended.. a most misfortunate accident. Dominic recruited her shortly after and for the most part she has been a bared wand ever since" Clevon put his cup of tea aside to peruse his desk draw to collect a file marked LAROUX, Fifi. "If I have one request for you Mr Harper it is that you do not give up on Miss LaRoux, no doubt it will not be easy but to leave her purely in the hands of Dominic would be more destructive then either of us could ever know". Placing the file on the coffee table on Martin's side Clevon sat back down at his seat, inside that file was everything they had on Fifi LaRoux from the age of 5 to 25, her early years at the British Ministry of Magic and the events of the night Fifi's family where killed. Clevon didn't know if Marty would wish to see it but he figured the man at least deserved the choice to know just why Fifi LaRoux was such a difficult individual.

Marty was finding that he really did like these two suddenly found family. Maybe they weren’t going to be meeting up every weekend for tea and cricket or butter beer and quidditch, but he was glad to have met them. Yes, he was fully thinking of Culpepper in the living sense, even if it was restricted to a frame. He truly appreciated the fact that Clevon was kind enough to try to ‘tend Marty’s wounds’ as it were. Problem was, Marty wasn’t sure what his wounds were. Truth be told, Marty didn’t really even know how deep the wounds could be.

Even with that question. Clevon’s commenting on his blushing succeeded in Marty turning even a darker shade of red and he resorted to a drink of tea as a means of composing himself again as Clevon went on to explain what could be explained about Fifi. (Face it folks, it isn’t much. She’s rather unexplainable 99.99% of the time.) Marty nodded, realizing that had they had a sexual (and here he wondered if it was possible to blush just thinking about the word and the possibility) relationship, the events in the hall still would have happened.

Marty was glad that Clevon understood his need to get back to business at hand, until he heard the business at hand was Fifi LaRoux. Had there not been the other two in the room, he would have probably headdesked at that moment. Instead, Marty just listened and nodded to verify that he had indeed studied the Second Wizarding War as well as the First. He also had to agree with Clevon’s comments that Fifi had been rather erratic the past few months. Of course, he hadn’t really known her much longer than that but he did see her when she was calm and he’d also seen her when she was rather like she was today.

“Yes, I’m aware of what many went through during that time,” Marty agreed. “I can’t say for sure what is going on between her and Dominic as I haven’t seen the two of them together much since my initial trip to Paris. I’m not sure how I can help with this,” he admitted, only to find out that Clevon did know how and explained as he placed a large file on the table between them. It was clear from the way Clevon placed it that he was giving Marty permission to read it. Just one problem. That wasn’t the permission Marty needed. “If there ever comes a time I really need to read that, no matter what, I’ll do so,” Marty assured Clevon, continuing, “But right now, I feel that if she really wants me to know any of that, she’d tell me,” he finished, quietly.
Looking up from the file in front of him, Marty assured the Minister, “I won’t give up on her. I can’t chase her down and I can’t force her to contact me but I do have on way to at least get a message to her. Whether she’ll read it or contact me, well, that’s another story.”

Looking up at Culpepper's portrait, Marty gave a small smile and looked back to Clevon. "Sir, I do have an idea for keeping in touch with you without it being obvious to anyone else," Marty began and continued when Clevon signaled that he was interested. "Well, if you happened to have another portrait of Uncle Culpepper, I could hang it in my apartment. I believe I read somewhere that they can go between their own portraits?"

"I am afraid that It is one thing to be aware, it is another to live it. For ones like Miss LaRoux and Dominic the war has never truly ended" Still he had to nod in agreement, there had certainly been quite a change between Fifi LaRoux and Dominic.. where once Fifi LaRoux was a constant companion to the French Minister Clevon could not recall the last time he had seen the pair captured together in the pages of Witch Weekley. Nobody could accuse Clevon of not trying to help, but it was the proverbial problem of trying to get a horse to drink.. or in this case Martin to make the most of the sizable chunk of history of a certain lady. Backing off Clevon just raised his hands in a 'I tried' expression. He had to shake his head, poor Martin was never going to get anywhere with any woman if he expected them to talk about their problems. Still at least he would consider the offer, Clevon just had to hope that it would not be too late. "Very well, though do not think this information was gained from Fifi alone, if you could get her to speak to you about what did happen would be a feat of magic of the highest degree.. I know I have been trying for years to get her to come around, yet after all these years she still steadfast refuses to trust me" Clevon sighed, it wasn't easy being a politician, everyone assumed that you where out to get them even when you where trying to help.

At least the man was willing to give it a shot, Clevon was glad that his plan had not entirely gone to waste. "Jolly good!" he said with the optimism that Martin would be able to do the impossible in bringing Miss LaRoux back into the fold. Culpepper too must have made quite the impression as the Minister glanced between the man and the painting in thought. "Humm..?" The Minister was all ears at a suggestion for keeping in touch, while Miss LaRoux would have baulked at the idea Clevon was mostly glad of anything that could get Culpepper off his hands. "Marvelous! Simply a marvelous idea! You are very right... I'm sure there is a spare portrait of the old boy somewhere..." tapping his pipe on the end of the chair the older man was more then pleased at the arrangement "I will have Mr Percy arrange it immediately". True to his word the Minister went straight to his desk to intercom his Undersecretary "Mr Percy could you please arrange for a portrait to of Culpepper commissioned or found, also please call for a Taxi for Mr Harper". Turning back to his guest the Minister blushed "Most dreadfully sorry but I'm afraid we have run out of time for the day, I do so hope you enjoyed your time in London, do owl if you ever do find yourself wishing to visit". Standing to see Martin out Clevon sighed to find a scattering of Wizards, Witches and underlings clustered in the hallway waiting for him, so much for a quiet moment.

But then again a Minister's work was never done.

Marty nodded at Dominic's comment. "I realize it is very different," Marty admitted quietly and, as Clevon mentioned that both Dominic and Fifi were living in war time still, he knew it did explain some of the things both of them did. But, for Marty that still did not justify him reading her file. "It probably could a big help to read that file to understand Fifi but I think, in her eyes, for me to read it, would just ensure never hearing from her again when she found out I had," Marty tried to explain. There was no 'if she found out'. Marty was fairly sure that Fifi would know even if he was completely careful to never mention anything in it. "Besides, I've studied the concepts of Legimency and Occulmency and I'm trained in neither. It's safer for Fifi and also for you, if I don't have any of that rolling around in my head right now." Marty wished he was being melodramatic but the way things had been going recently, he doubted it.

As the meeting came to an end, Marty rose with the Minister, wondering how he'd accomplish the task before him, especially if the idea for reaching out to Fifi resulted in no response. He found himself looking forward to the idea of Culpepper being able to visit with him in portrait form. "Thank you, sir," Marty told his new found family member as both stood, understanding that the Minister's day was not his own. "See you soon, Uncle Culpepper," he called to the portrait as said their good byes, heading to the door of the office only to find a small group already waiting.

Marty followed Percy to the door of the Ministry leaving Clevon to the waiting public. As the cab pulled up, Marty thanked Percy and gave the cabby the address of his hotel. Once there, he changed clothes and set out on a walking tour of London.

Kat was yawning by the end of her shift, it seemed like all she ever did these days was work and study and study and study. She must have been crazy to think that she could become a real healer when there was so much reading and assignments and on top of it all her interning shifts at St Mungo's to put it all in practice. In truth though Kat looked forward to her shifts because at least there she was doing something real and not just reading about it. So far in her first year it felt like most of what they where doing was a repeat of her final year healing but she just had to remind herself that not everybody had grown up like her. Most of her classmates had never done healing outside the classroom before so she knew she shouldn't be so harsh. Her final round always took the longest as she could never get away without having a long talk with a few of the longer term patents. Eventually however it was time to leave, calling a farewell to the ladies at the desk Kat walked straight into a wall of water.. oh silly her forgetting her charms again! Spending so long in Australia had made her awfully lazy when it came to the waterproofing and warming charms that where so much a part of life in England, shivering the young woman was glad that at least she would have little chance of being run over or lost in her St Mungo's uniform of bright green over yet more bright green. Nobody it seemed was able to explain just why fluro green had been chosen as the intern uniform nor had anyone made a effort to change it once the initial grumbles wore down.

Kat wore it better then most, the fact that it was at least bright cheered her up on this cloudy day, it reminded her of her little sister Chloe back in Australia which brought a small smile to her face as she made her way though the busy streets. Normally Kat didn't really pay attention to what was going on around her as she hurried to the tube station to catch the underground back to her sister's flat in Kent but today she happened to notice a man looking quite odd in the usual crowds of people, something about him made her curious.. maybe it was the way he was looking around like a tourist or someone lost? Either way she couldn't just walk by without doing something and so like a green jellybean of hope she wove though the crowd to the man "Hey Mister, are you okay?" Kat had never been self-conscious of talking to strangers.. after all it was her job! Most of the time she forgot that other people would think it odd for the tall, red haired girl wearing a St Mungo's robe through the street. Nobody had ever noticed the crest and if anyone did she just shrugged and people assumed it was some Muggle thing. Little did they know that St Mungo's was a hospital for Magic!