COMPLETE. Hermione convinces Draco to spy for the Order and she becomes his handler. But what are Draco's true motivations? Hard to say when he's still figuring that out himself.
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Note: I'll mention that a chapter needs a TW in the beginning, and I'll elaborate on the TW at the end of the chapter. Those that want to read the TW and make an informed decision can skip to the end. Those that don't want to, don't have to. This chapter has a trigger warning. Skip to the end to read it if you need more information.
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November 1997
"So, Draco," Lucius said, eyeing his son over the heavy mahogany desk in his study. "Tell me what we've been doing over the past couple months."
His father sat back in his armchair, hands clasped over his lap in expectation.
Draco crossed his legs, leaned on the armrest of the chair and stared back at his father. His mother was promised that Draco would be trained to replace him so that he wouldn't have to go back to Hogwarts. And now he was being tested on his progress.
"With what?" Draco replied. "The Department of Magical Law Enforcement or the Ministry Finance Bureau?"
He had gathered long ago that they had two focuses. One with regards to law enforcement and the second in finance. Many frightfully boring hours had been spent wining and dining, attending functions, plays and concerts, Quidditch matches and hosting hunting parties on the Malfoy grounds. They treated the department head of the DMLE and of the Finance Bureau, their deputies and major officers, and the occasional low ranking official.
"Both."
His father never explained the purpose of any of their outings. He simply told Draco who they would be meeting, what their position and responsibilities were, and what activity they would be doing. Lucius preferred that his son figure things out on his own.
Draco followed his lead and made small talk, observing and taking mental notes, not knowing in the beginning where all of this seemingly wasted time would benefit them, but knowing it had a purpose. He started to piece things together over the past few weeks, watching his father expertly direct the conversations without a whiff of ulterior motive. Over time, Draco developed a grudging appreciation for his father's nuanced approach.
Lucius Malfoy was a snake. It was impossible to know he was going to strike until the fangs were in your throat and the venom coursing through your veins. And by then it was too late.
Draco sat up straighter and described what he'd been able to suss out thus far. "We know the Order is looking for financial backing. Whatever funds they may have pooled together are going to run out after putting the Mudbloods and Order members in hiding – if they haven't already." He cleared his throat. "There are more banks than Gringotts in England, and they all report quarterly to the oversight committee at the Ministry Finance Bureau."
His father tapped his finger on his knuckle, patiently waiting for Draco to elaborate.
Draco shifted in his chair. "By now, it's glaringly obvious the Order won't be able to secure any domestic donors; at least, not any major ones. So the majority of their funding will be from abroad. We should be able to identify the bank they are using from those quarterly reports, and which account depending on timing, quantity and the nature of the bank transactions. We'd have to follow up with the bank to get more detail, of course, once we've identified the account."
