“Next up for bidding!� the weedy announcer smiled maliciously down at his audience. “She is a young pure-blood girl in need of a little, ah, discipline."

Aris shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He couldn’t believe he let Morvan drag him to the local trading market in London. He had been quite unwilling to spend his only day off from the Ministry of Magic with the overly excitable Morvan, but Morvan had been insisting for months that such proceedings, as the one he witnessed now, were entertaining. Maybe his friend found some perverse joy attending the slave trading auctions, but Aris did not find it amusing by any standards. The only reason Aris took a seat in the small theatre was to shut Morvan’s flapping jaws about the whole ordeal. Perhaps if Aris made a point of attending this one time, it would buy him a few more months before his friend began badgering him about it again.

He looked around the room. It was filled mostly with older gentlemen, if one could call them by such a title. The balding, grey-haired and scruffy men licked their lips greedily in anticipation as a ginger-headed girl was thrust onto the stage. She kicked and bit at the two cloaked goons wrestling her up to the podium.

The announcer tipped his pock-marked head at the girl and waved a hand to indicate her figure and she spat at him before being gagged by a dirty cloth.

She was an unsettlingly pretty girl despite her dirty clothing. She possessed fiery-ginger tresses, a smattering of freckles across her nose and deep brown eyes filled with disgust at the view before her. Aris felt something jump in his throat as he watched her struggle vainly before the audience. Her eyes flickered over his once and he could almost reach out and touch the disdain she had for the people in this tiny theatre, palpable as it was.

“As you can see, my lovely audience, she does indeed have many fine attributes,� the announcer winked and the room chuckled appreciatively. “She might one day make an acceptable wife for breeding.�

“One hundred galleons!� shrieked a stubby rabbit-faced man from the back of the room. Aris felt ill for reasons he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Perhaps it was her beauty that made him feel sympathy for her. Or perhaps it was the knowledge that several of the men in the audience were depraved individuals who would find value in buying the pretty girl for nefarious means.

I will punch Morvan in his idiot face, Aris seethed.

“So the bidding starts already, eh?� the announcer laughed. The girl glared across several heads at a man in the crowd insisting in a loud voice to his compatriots that he could out-buy anyone in the room. Aris recognized him as a fellow Ministry of Magic co-worker, Willis Theobald. Theobald's bulging eyes scanned the room like a vulture.

“Two hundred galleons!� Scabior growled.

Suddenly the room erupted into shouts and minor scuffles as the bid for the girl rose exponentially in only a few minutes.

“Twenty thousand galleons,� Theobald stood up and the room fell deadly silent. He flashed his blackened and rotting teeth at the miffed expressions of those surrounding him.

Aris looked back to the girl. Her expression was that of disbelief and despair. She lifted her eyes to the ceiling as if resigning herself to her fate.

I have gone mad, he thought and stood up. Morvan looked up at him in shock but Aris dismissed him with a curt shake of his head.

“Thirty thousand galleons,� he sighed. All heads turned to him, greedy to watch the match between him and Theobald for the girl. Scabior huffed and sat heavily back in his chair in defeat.

Theobald flashed a warning look at him and raised a withered claw. Aris looked back and forth to the pretty girl as her wide brown eyes pleaded with him to save her from such a miserable fate.

“Forty thousand galleons!� Theobald challenged him.

“Sixty thousand galleons,� Aris replied. The announcer jumped greedily between the two men. Theobald grimaced. The girl’s shoulders relaxed slightly in relief. The entire theatre was silent as everyone watched with curiosity and jealousy. It seemed Aris would be the highest bidder as Theobald muttered something to his neighbor.

“Eighty thousand galleons!� Theobald suddenly shouted. The girl stood stock still in shock. He shook hands with his neighbor in triumph and cast a nasty smile at Aris.

Aris looked into the girl’s wide, terrified eyes. She never dropped her gaze from him as the goons began to drag her from the stage.

In for a penny, in for a pound, Aris groaned inwardly.

“One hundred thousand galleons!� Aris boomed. He felt his stomach muscles quiver in anger as Morvan cackled with glee and pumped a triumphant fist on his back.

Theobald’s face darkened in rage and he flounced angrily back to his seat in defeat, glaring at Aris as if he’d like nothing more than to curse him into oblivion.

The announcer bounced on the balls of his feet.

“What a rush! Next up, half-blood. Decent build. Great lad for yard work…� he heard the announcer clasp his hands together to move along the bidding.

Aris abruptly left Morvan without speaking to him. He was so angry he didn’t think he could even look at the man. He had never even wanted to visit the place. Now he was out one hundred thousand galleons and he had made a new enemy… all because he could not betray a pretty girl to the sick fantasies of Theobald.

“Bugger it all to hell,� he hissed as he stepped into the office to sign the paperwork.


***

She wouldn’t speak to him and steadfastly glared out of the window of the carriage. She was flanked by the same goons who had dragged her earlier off the small theatre stage.

“What is your name?�

Silence.

“Have you any experience with housework?�

More silence.

“Er… It was mentioned you are a blood traitor. May I ask by what means you managed to land yourself in such a predicament?�

Her head whipped to him and the flash of fiery orange hair unnerved him. She narrowed her eyes at him and he responded with a cold expression. Still she did not answer him.

“What am I supposed to do with you…� he mumbled, more to himself than to her. She went back to staring out of the window at the passing landscape.

They arrived a while later at his country-side home on the outskirts of London. The carriage jolted to a stop at the front terrace of the manor and he instructed the goons to take her to a room upstairs. It was furnished for guests but, having had no previous knowledge that he would be returning home with an expensive pure-blood girl, he decided it would be sufficient. Any guests would have to sleep elsewhere until he could figure out what to do with her.

He ate dinner alone in frustration. Aris made sure to send the girl dinner by way of his house-elf, Tippy.

A visitor called upon him later that evening as Aris shuffled the pages of the Daily Prophet in agitation. Aris heard the bell ring and trudged through the front parlor. He saw Morvan skipping eagerly on his front porch through the window and swung open the door. Without a word, Aris slammed a fist into Morvan’s excited face. Then he closed the door in satisfaction, locked it and went to bed.

***

Aris awoke early in the morning to earsplitting screeching. He stumbled out of bed and tripped over his nightstand and let out a growl of rage when he stubbed his toe.

“Master! Tippy will take care of everything! Tippy does not want Master to worry!� he heard the house-elf squeak at him as he barged sleepily down the main staircase.

The ginger-headed girl lay unconscious in the front parlor. It looked as if she had been trying to escape by the front door but the intruder alarm had gone off and the Anti-Escape spell he had installed around his property knocked her out.

“Bring her back to the guest room, Tippy. And lock the bloody door,� he groaned and tried vainly to rub the sleep from his eyes. It was no use going back to bed now. He might as well head into work, albeit a bit earlier than he would have liked.

***

Aris arrived at the Ministry by the Floo Network. He stepped out of the fire, brushed the ashes from his cloak and walked briskly through the Atrium to the lift. He was surprised to see Kingsley Shaklebolt marching toward him.

“Morning, Kingsley,� he nodded and hoped the tall black man with an earring would pass him by. Unfortunately his luck did not seem to be much these past few days.

“Good morning, Aristophanes. Do you mind if I speak with you in private?� Kingsley rumbled in a deep voice. It wasn’t as much a question as it was a demand. Aris wondered if Morvan had done something stupid again. Perhaps he had screwed up on some paperwork that Aris had hastily signed to get away from him.

Aris plastered a grim smile on his face and prepared himself.

“Sure thing, mate,� he gritted his teeth together and followed Kingsley to a secluded arch across the atrium. If Kingsley wanted this much privacy it boded very badly for Aris. He wondered if he should have cursed Morvan to pieces last night instead.

“I have heard what happened at the auction yesterday,� Kingsley said. Aris sighed and felt a fleeting flash of disgust with himself for allowing Morvan to drag him to the function. He could tell that Kingsley did not approve. The Auror gave off an air of sophistication, and as much as Aris tried to tell himself he did not care for Kingsley’s approval one way or another he still felt ashamed. Kingsley had a way of doing that to people, he noticed. At least Morvan hadn’t screwed up on any paperwork.

“Out of curiosity, I must ask why you attended,� Kingsley inquired calmly. Aris glared across the atrium to the employees steadily arriving at work and bustling across the polished floor to their respective assigned jobs. He watched several Snatchers drag a line of chained and frightened Muggles to the lift to go down to the Courtroom in the basement.

“I must admit, Kingsley, I do not know. I attended at the behest of another individual. Appalling proceedings,� he spoke truthfully. This did not pacify the Auror.

“You bought a girl,� Kingsley stated. Aris folded his arms protectively across his chest and stared defiantly up at the shiny bald head.

“I did. Theobald contested me highly for her,� Aris said. He wondered why Kingsley would wish to discuss something so inane with him. Kingsley usually policed the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the War Department like a watchdog to make sure everyone was doing their duties when he was not in France hunting traitors to the Dark Lord.

“Her name is Ginevra Weasely. I knew her as a school girl,� Kingsley told him. Aris felt the pit of his stomach drop.

Great, he thought and resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

“I trust you mean her no harm?� Kingsley inquired. “I ask because, whatever you may feel, she is a wonderful young lady and I only hope she is in good hands.�

Aris took a deep breath. This was becoming more of a hassle than he had anticipated.

“Kingsley, I assure you. I harbor her no ill will. She will be kept comfortably. Honestly, I don’t even know what to do with her,� he admitted. “She has quite a temper.�

Suddenly Kingsley heaved a sigh of relief. It shocked Aris. Then Kingsley smiled wearily to himself and clapped a large hand on Aris’ shoulder.

“That she does. I trust you will take care of her and keep her safe?� Kingsley questioned him. Again his question sounded more like a demand. A threat. It made Aris feel uncomfortable. Of course he would keep her safe, whatever that meant. It wasn’t as if his house were under attack or anything. Those days had passed.

“Of course. Better than me than Willis Theobald,� he said. Much to his surprise, Kingsley nodded and left Aris abruptly to stand by himself underneath the secluded arch. He watched the impressive Auror walk around the ugly Fountain of Magical Brethren and disappear into the distance.

Aris rubbed at his temples and made his way to the lift. He rode down to the War Department on Level Two and departed from the annoying flapping memos in the elevator carriage. A few shot out and flew down the corridor to their respective offices and Aris found one waiting for him zooming around his office door. He snatched at it and unfolded the parchment.

“Good morning, Mr. Malfoy!� twittered his secretary.

He stalked past her and collapsed at his desk. He re-read the memo several times in confirmation. The Daily Prophet had once again exaggerated about the state of affairs in southwest England. It was being written that the Dark Lord’s forces had vanquished an entire encampment of blood traitors, but Aris scratched his head and looked over at the massive hanging map in his office. It covered an entire wall and he rolled his eyes. As far as he was aware, the Dark Lord’s forces were retreating steadily as the dots on the map moved away from the little wizarding village of Merlin Court outside of the muggle town of Fordingbridge. Either The Daily Prophet’s reporting had gone wonky or it was lying outright. It occurred to him that the Daily Prophet may be covering up for losses at the demands of the Dark Lord. It only made sense. The Dark Lord would not want to appear weak. Aris crumpled up the memo and tossed it into the waste basket. If the Dark Lord did not mind telling tales then neither would Aris. He did not want to end up dead like his cousin Lucius for displeasing the Dark Lord. It was not worth it.

He reached for his quill and scratched out a message to be sent back to the Daily Prophet after he deemed it satisfactory enough. Being vague, that was the key.

It was going to be a long day.

***


Aris finished signing his name on the last piece of parchment and headed out of his office. He saw Kingsley speaking to Theobald by the Fountain of Magical Brethren. He slunk behind a tall witch who worked in the Department of Mysteries and managed to hide in line to leave the Ministry by the Floo Network without Kingsley spotting him. All he wanted to do was go home, take a nice long bath and relax by the fire in his study. He didn’t want to be accosted by Kingsley again. The man was nerve-wracking enough to deal with. He wanted silence. He wanted peace.

He stepped into the warm fire and his stomach churned as he shot past glimpses of other fireplaces and finally landed on the hearth in his own home.

"Meeeeeep! Meeeeeep! Meeeeeep!"

He groaned and covered his ears as he arrived to the earsplitting screeching of the Anti-Escape spell.

Tippy scuttled down the hallway and her ears twitched when she saw Aris dusting off his cloak.

“Master must not worry! This is the third time today but Tippy will not let the Weasley girl leave. Tippy is taking care of everything!� the house-elf squeaked in his wake and padded hurriedly up the staircase.

Aris removed his cloak and tossed it dejectedly to the floor. He undid his tie and stormed up the stairs angrily after Tippy. His other house-elf, Nubby, was dragging the girl’s unconscious body across the floor into the guest room. He huffed and puffed but bowed as Aris approached.

“Master has returned,� Nubby said gratefully. He looked at each one of his house-elves. They were swaying on their feet and Tippy scratched tiredly behind her twitching ears. The girl must have been putting them through the ringer all day. The rage bubbled in his chest as he picked the Weasley girl off the floor with ease and tossed her onto the four poster bed.

“You may both go rest for a few minutes before dinner,� he dismissed the house-elves and they bowed again in gratitude. He heard two loud pops as they disappeared to the kitchens and the Anti-Escape spell wore itself out. Finally there was silence. Blissful silence.

Aris sat on the edge of the bed next to the unconscious girl and hung his head in his hands. He felt a headache coming along. He was tired, angry, frustrated and hungry. To make things worse, he had come home to chaos.

The girl stirred fitfully. Aris watched as she opened her eyes, lashes fluttering. He felt something in his chest jump but he swallowed and prepared to deal with her. She took in her surroundings and glared at him with malice.

“What the devil do you mean by it?� Aris demanded. He tried to make his voice sound authoritative but he failed miserably. He had only managed to sound whiny.

“Let me go and I will stop trying to escape,� she answered. Aris studied her for a moment.

“Absolutely not,� he told her. She sat up and crossed her legs on the bed.

“I will get out of this forsaken house if it is the last thing I do. I hope you know that,� she said matter-of-factly.

“Over my dead body,� he glared at her.

“If you wish it,� she challenged him. Aris rolled his eyes.

“Save the threats for someone who cares,� he replied huffily and made to leave. The girl threw a pillow at him. Aris spun around and raised his wand in anger.

“Do it again. I dare you. I will have you bound and shackled in my wine cellar if you insist on throwing things at me,� he growled.

The girl rolled her eyes back at him.

“It was only a pillow,� she grumbled and looked down into her lap.

“It is a very expensive pillow and I like it,� Aris replied, picked it up off the floor and tossed it back to her.

“Then why is it in here? Why don’t you sleep with it?� she argued.

“Because it is… lumpy,� he replied, feeling stupid.

“So I am forced to sleep upon it. How considerate,� she remarked sarcastically and kicked it off the bed to the floor again.

“Fine. If you don’t like the pillow then I will fetch you another one,� Aris told her and slammed the bedroom door shut.

He stopped in the hallway and glowered at the guest bedroom door. He felt like somehow he had been duped into performing an unnecessary task but he shook his head and stalked off.

He marched into his bedroom with a raging headache and snatched a pillow off his own bed. He clenched it in his fist and rapped on her door

There was no answer.

He jiggled the handle and stepped into the room. The girl stood in front of the window, looking casually across the lawn to the line of trees that bordered his property.

“Here,� he said and gently placed the pillow on the bed. She watched him back up to leave.

“Why did you purchase me? For what purpose?� she asked him in a low voice. Aris stopped in his tracks and made eye contact.

“I don’t have any purpose for you. I merely considered it a shame to allow Theobald to take you,� Aris said.

“Theobald. That man looks like a real creeper,� she said and eyed him suspiciously.

“He is. I didn’t know it at the time but I spoke with Kingsley Shaklebolt today and he told me you are part of the Weasley brood. Your name is Ginevra. I believe I went to school with your brother, Charlie,� he told her. Her eyes lit up at each name but she remained steadfast.

“I don’t think Charlie ever mentioned you. I’d also prefer if you call me Ginny. My first name is horrible,� she said. One of her eyebrows rose.

“Charlie would not have mentioned me. I was a year younger than him at Hogwarts. I was also in Slytherin House so we were not acquaintances. My name is Aristophanes Malfoy,� he said by way of introduction. He offered her his hand. Ginny frowned at it.

Aris took his hand back and shrugged.

“I didn’t know You-Know-Who left any Malfoys alive,� she shuddered.

“My cousin Lucius was executed. As far as I am aware, his wife and son have gone into hiding. I have not provoked the ire of the Dark Lord,� Aris grumbled. “How is it you were put up for auction?�

Ginny gritted her teeth.

“I was picked up by Snatchers. One of them recognized me and turned me in for a reward,� she answered bitterly. Her nose crinkled and her lips puckered as if she tasted something sour.

“You are lucky in that regard,� he said in a low tone. She looked as if she had been slapped.

“Lucky?! Explain to me how so,� she demanded and stamped her foot on the floor.

“If one of the Snatchers had not recognized you, you would be burning on the pyre in Trafalgar Square with the rest of the Muggles,� he shivered. He couldn’t stop the memories of running away from the stench of burning flesh and the screams of agony that shot through the crushing, rioting crowd of wizards and witches.

Ginny’s eyes were wide in disbelief. She swallowed hard and looked as if she might cry. But she steadied herself and took a deep breath.

“I thought everyone knew that,� he whispered. She shook her head once and wrapped her arms around her own body.

“I… go away,� she demanded in a shaky voice.

Aris nodded and shut the door behind him. He could smell dinner cooking and he limped exhausted to the dining room.