The Beauty of the Beast [Dramione]

Infiltration and Impaired Thinking

Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated in, like, FOREVER, but I've been shuttling back and forth between North Carolina and New York the whole past week, and have only managed to write half of chapter 9; so rather than make you guys hate me even more, I'm uploading it in TWO PARTS. I know, crazy.

I also haven't gotten more than 18 hours of sleep in the past 4 days (if you do the math, that's an average of 4.5 hours per night), so please ignore the awful spelling and grammar.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Harry Potter Series!

PART 1

For Jacob, things hadn't been flowing quite so smoothly. He had shot out of one of the fireplaces in the main entrance onto the black marble floor, sweaty hands clutching the extra vial of polyjuice, scrambled to his feet and tucked the vial into 'his' jacket pocket. He looked around nervously, and tried to breathe more evenly.

High vaulted ceilings and tall marble columns led the way down the hallway where an enormous fountain was imposingly placed. A huge block of stone was at it's center, making a large pillar with the Ministry symbol on it, and Jacob caught the words Magic Is Might along it's side, engraved in the marble.

As he cast his gaze downwards, he could see at the base of the pillar, holding it up, were the naked bodies of men, women and children alike, their faces and bodies contorted into expressions of pain and suffering. He assumed they could only be muggles.

Transfixed by the awful image of the fountain, he stood staring for a few moments, unable to move, until the chiming of a great clock brought him back to his senses. 11 times it tolled, 11:00 at night, at Jacob knew that he had to get moving.

Where did Kingsley say she was? The Dungeons? There's a lift.

He strode towards the gated lift with a swift and what he hoped to be a confident looking pace. It opened automatically for him, and closed behind him, nearly closing on the tail of his coat, though he barely noticed.

He looked at the wall, covered in glowing buttons. It seemed that the Ministry was far more expansive than they let on. Some levels had a keyhole next to them where the holder of the key, a person of higher standing in the new Ministry, would insert the matching key and gain access to whatever was on that level.

Scanning the wall, he found the level marked with a 'D'. Dungeons. Must be it, then. It had a small keyhole next to it, and he brushed his hand inside of his pocket, searching for the key. His hand brushed against something small and cold, and when he brought it up to the light, he could see that it was a small golden it into the keyhole, he saw that it was a perfect fit.

The button glowed, Jacob having activated it, and he pressed it. The lift shuddered, but didn't move. He pushed the button again, before it started to fade, and groaning, the lift moved backwards a fraction of an inch, but no further.

That's odd. I guess it's the stairs then. He pressed the button indicating the lift's open doors, but they remained firmly shut. Jacob Amanar began to sweat.

My first mission for the Oder, and I manage to get stuck in a bloody lift! How am I going to get out of this all the while staying inconspicuous?

The tapping of shoes indicated someone coming, and Jacob pressed his back against the wall of the lift, hoping it would make him more invisible.

An oily looking man dressed sharply in black robes passed the lift, and merely glancing to his left, saw the Draco look-alike standing holding his breath and trying to blend into the wall of an unmoving lift. Naturally, like anyone else would do given the circumstances, he wandered over. But as he got nearer, a look of recognition passed across his face, and his pace slowed to an almost saunter, his mouth turned into a smirk.