Plotting Exposure

Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to JKR. The original plot and story belong to Velvet Song. Any resemblance to anything living or dead is purely coincidental.

Author's Note: This is a continuation of Velvet Song's story "Damsels & Dragons", which she has graciously allowed me to adopt. You will find the first thirteen chapters of her story here: http: //www. thepetulantpoetess.com /viewstory.php?sid =18337 (remove the spaces first). I might suggest you read her story first in order to understand what has been happening.

Virtual chocolates and velvet hugs to Fizzabella and writermerrin for the beta of this chapter. The story is completed and will be posted as each chapter is beta'd.

Plotting Exposure

"If we are going to expose Scrimgeour as a Death Eater," Lucius said, "it is imperative we find where he has taken the contents of that vault." He looked over to Bill. "I am fairly certain he wouldn't have put them into his personal vault. That would be subject to Ministry confiscation after he's been exposed."

Bill nodded. "Griphook told me if anything came back on Gringotts from the information I'm about to give you, the onus would be on my head. I agreed because he was risking everything by giving it to me." He looked around the table and grimaced. "Scrimgeour has nothing of any particular value in his personal vault. I would have to conclude he has another place to keep what he took."

"I concur," Lucius said. "I also see a major problem. Scrimgeour has any number of places he could have taken his ill-gotten gains."

"His house and the Ministry," Harry snorted. "That's only two places."

"Which house, Mr Potter?"

"Huh?"

"To the best of my knowledge, Scrimgeour has a townhouse in London, his manor in Dorset, and a beach cottage in Cornwall," Lucius said, tapping the table to emphasize each point. "There is also his Ministry office, I will give you that, but..."

"He has access to almost every part of the Ministry by virtue of having been the Minister of Magic," Arthur spoke up. "Even if he doesn't hold the post any longer, there are still rooms that would allow him entrance."

Hermione shook her head. "I don't think it's the Ministry," she said, holding up her hand to stop Harry from arguing. "Think about it, Harry. He's not the Minister anymore. Why would he hide something in a room that someone – anyone – else could enter?"

"Hermione's right," Minerva said. "I think his office is out as well. Too many people in and out of it all day and possibly part of the night as well. Arthur, does the Ministry have any secret safes or rooms that you might know of?"

If he knows, then they're not secret.

Arthur opened and closed his mouth a few times. "To the best of my knowledge, I'd have to say no, Minerva. But then, if I knew about them, they wouldn't be a secret now, would they?"

Hermione had to laugh. "Severus just said the same thing," she hastened to explain as everyone glanced over at her. "Two minds with a single thought."

How insulting.

Hermione ignored Severus' grumbling. "Maybe it's like Poe's story, 'The Purloined Letter'," she mused. Harry and Arthur quickly caught her line of reasoning, while the other teachers looked bemused.

"That could be it," Harry crowed. "Why look for a safe or secret room when it's hiding in plain sight?"

"Yes," sighed Arthur dreamily. "I always did enjoy that particular story." He shook his head to clear it. "So we need to search all those places Lucius mentioned? That could take weeks."

"I think we need to make him reveal himself to us," Minerva said. "We could then have him turn over everything to us before we notify the Ministry."

"Why, Minerva," purred Narcissa. "You're speaking of blackmail." She beamed at the older witch. "I didn't know you had it in you."

Quickly stifled laughter rippled around the table as Minerva gave a cat-like smile. "My dear Narcissa, blackmail is such an ugly word. I prefer 'extortion'," she purred, then turned to Lucius. "You said the mark wasn't visible. How would we know for sure?"

"I think I know," Hermione said, interrupting Lucius' answer. He closed his mouth and nodded for her to continue. "You said your Mark goes soul-deep. That's how I recognized Severus." She grinned and tapped her left forearm. "So even if Scrimgeour's Mark isn't visible, there would still be a Mark on his soul, right?"

"Oh, my," Filius said. "If that's the case, a simple diagnostic spell should reveal his affiliations."

Lucius shook his head. "It's not that easy," he said. "Simple diagnostic spells are used at St. Mungo's. That would mean possible exposure every time an unmarked Death Eater had to see a Healer." He stood up and started to pace. "No, there was another method the Dark Lord used to communicate with them, but I can't recall..."

Like us, they were called by the Dark Mark itself, but separately so as to maintain their so-called cover.

"Severus says Riddle used his Dark Mark to call them," Hermione said. "Can you do that through your Mark?"

"No," Lucius growled. "I wish I could. A lot more of my so-called friends would be in Azkaban if that were the case." He sat down heavily and rubbed a hand across his face.

"I have an idea," Draco said, flashing a decidedly evil grin. "He was in Gryffindor, wasn't he? What if we tell him we found something of the Dark Lord's hidden here at Hogwarts? We want to turn it over to the Ministry, but would prefer to give it to someone we know hates the Dark Lord as much as we do so he can take care of it?"

"In other words, we lie," Harry said.

Draco shrugged. "Works for me."

"What sort of something?" Harry asked in a brusque manner. "Wouldn't he be suspicious?"

"Not necessarily," Lucius interjected. "It's a good idea, but I think I have a better one."

"Do tell, Lucius." Minerva leaned forward in her chair, clearly interested. "How would you go about summoning Scrimgeour to us?"

He slowly smiled. "Scrimgeour considers himself a connoisseur of fine wines and whiskies." Hermione and Remus sat up straight and listened very closely at the mention of whisky while Lucius nodded at them. "I happen to know where a bottle of Ogden's Old Hundred Year Reserve Firewhisky is located."

THAT'S MINE!

Hermione winced as Severus' roar reverberated in her head. While most of the others looked fearfully out the window at the Forbidden Forest, Lucius grinned at Remus and Hermione.

"I guess you know what he thinks of that," she said ruefully, shaking her head to clear it. "You might want to try something else."

"Whatever for, dear?" Minerva said craftily. "I happen to have two bottles of my own carefully put by for a rainy day." She glanced at Lucius. "I could certainly spare one for a good cause."

"That's most kind of you, Minerva," Lucius said, giving her a bow. "Filius, how soon could you come up with a charm to make his Dark Mark visible?"

"Er..." Filius hedged. "I'm not sure. With Mrs Bones-Malfoy and Miss Granger's help, a few days... maybe? Might be as long as two or three weeks?" He looked over at the two women, who smiled reassuringly. "Er, yes. Perhaps a few days." He pulled a piece of parchment towards him and summoned a quill to start writing down the elements of the necessary spell. Looking up at Lucius, he asked, "May we use you and your family to test our theories?"

"Whatever you need, Filius," Narcissa said, agreeing for her husband and son, who nodded. "Whatever you need."

I am willing, as well.

Hermione sighed. "It might just come to that." She quickly relayed his words to the rest of the group.

"Excellent." Filius rubbed his hands together. "One way or another, we will get this done. How did you plan to lure your victim here?" He looked at Lucius.

"Perhaps a dinner invitation?" Lucius mused. "A mention of how I managed to discover a rare whisky, and I thought perhaps he might like to join me and my family." He gave a malevolent look. "The man is a back-stabbing sycophant. I'm sure he would want to be in the good graces of a Malfoy if there were a chance of something for himself in it."

Quite.

Hermione just smiled.