History Has Its' Eyes On Me -- Blaise

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Hermione stood silently in the Ministers office, staring at the door her niece had walked out of just minutes before. Victoire Weasley was stepping down from the Minister position, and for some wild and crazy reason, Hermione had agreed to become Minister for Magic.  It was something that had been tossed around for weeks, months even now.  She and Ron had had a serious conversation about the possibility of her taking the top seat; it was a huge responsibility, but in the end she'd known that if Victoire asked, she would have agreed.  She was glad for her niece, so young and vulnerable in the shark tank that was the world of politics.  She was stepping back to focus on her personal life, and Hermione only wished her the best; she deserved to have a life for a little while at least.

With a small sigh, Hermione turned her attention to the small pile of memos that had arrived in the moments between now and Victoires' exit.  She opened up the first one and froze.  The paper slipped through her fingers as she drew a sharp intake of break; Adeline Shacklebolt was missing.  Her immediate thought was Elaine Dupree - her twin Abigail had been part of the team that had taken down Desirae Rousseau, and she was certain by now the woman knew that.  What better way to draw Abby in than using her own twin as bait?  Stooping down to pick up the paper, Hermione marched down the hallway, not talking to anyone as she passed by.  Finally she reached the Obliviator Headquarters, and who she was looking for.  "Mr Zabini," she said curtly, and wordlessly handed the paper over to him.


blaise leo zabini


ooc: see here for plot connection with Adeline <3

[Deleted]

@hermionejean

The Obliviator office had been…quiet to say the least, as of late. Blaise wasn’t complaining since he always had things to do outside of being in the field, like paperwork, and paperwork, and sometimes more paperwork. Luckily there were newer coworkers that could do most of the grunt work, but he still had to have last looks on it all before it went to the next level above him. Silly hierarchical systems they had here. So today, as the day before, and the one before that, he was cooped up inside filling out final forms on a bunch of simple cases that only took one Obliviator to do the job. He’d never stoop to that level to take on the easy ones, only the most interesting cases went to him. That and if the Ministry was afraid the Statute of Secrecy was about to have its cover blown. Then everyone went out in force. That had never happened while he was on board, but there were still drills down in case it did.

Taking a sip of his coffee, he signed another piece of paper that something to do with a levitating dog. Why did people think that was okay? The dog’s safety aside, and numerous other ethical laws there, dogs weren’t supposed to float in any way, shape or form. And yet it consistently happened without any connection to one witch or wizard. If it continued he’d have the Magical Misuse division look into floating dog collars just in case. There was always the possibility of hexed muggle items. Finishing the last dot of the ‘i’ in Zabini, he looked up to see a rather curt higher-up standing in front of his desk. Taking off his reading glasses, because Merlin knew he needed them now for some reason, he reached out for the paper. “Madame Senior Undersecretary.” He unfolded it, not needing to go all the way before he saw what was written within. “That’s one way to start the morning.” He flattened the paper out on his desk, reading it over again. “I was hoping she had slept in. Children tend to do that.” Blaise had nothing against the Shacklebolt girl, she was quite good at her job actually, but the young ones were exactly that, young. “So how are we proceeding with this? Normally I just clean up the collateral damage after our Auror friends make a mess, but this is one of my own. I’m assuming the Minister knows already?”

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Hermione decided to ignore Blaise’s comment about the Shacklebolt girl sleeping in; she knew that Adeline had had a lot of trouble coping after she was involved with the April kidnappings, but from what her superiors had reported, she was very punctual at all times, always sending an owl if anything unexpected happened. Between her father having been assassinated while he was the Minister to Abigail being directly involved in Desirae Rousseau’s death, Hermione almost would bet her life that Elaine Dupree had something to do with this. She also did not address her new title, as it was only...seven minutes now that she had become Minister. What a way to start off her time at the top of it all.

Hermione raised an eyebrow as Blaise asked how they were handling this and if the Minister knew. Well, she supposed now was as good a time as any. “The Minister does know, as seven minutes ago she became me,” She paused only briefly to let it sink in before continuing on. “You were a hitwizard Mr. Zabini before you became an Obliviator. I bring this particular case to you because I have reason to believe that Elaine Dupree is behind this kidnapping, along with several other disappearances over the past week. They have all been small, wallflower type people that don’t make a huge impact in their society, however they are still missing. Adeline Shacklebolt is one of your own as you say, and therefore wanted to give this case over to you, should you choose to work it.” She shrugged, though her eyes were blazing. “I can of course pass this along to Stephen Holmes should you be too busy for this.”

blaise leo zabini

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@hermionejean

Blaise raised his eyebrows as Hermione brought up the fact that the Minister knew, because that was her now. He quickly processed it all, remembering that there had been some difficulties as of late, but he had assumed that was just the young Weasley girl having trouble getting settled into the position. Apparently it wasn’t. “Congratulations. I’d say we should be celebrating your taking of office, but I think we know right now is not appropriate for that.” His junior was missing. If it was anyone else, then maybe he wouldn’t have been too worried. Shacklebolt had too many things stacked against her right now though. It was rather obvious that this wasn’t a mere fluke that she wasn’t here.

The Minister brought up the fact that he was once a hitwizard. Yes, he was quite aware of that. Everyone seemed to be bringing it up lately, especially him. Obviously being in a higher position as an Obliviator with those former assets of his meant that he was the one for this job, seeing as that was what was being offered here. He had been itching to get back into the field again, not as an Obliviator, but as a hitwizard. This was practically his call to action. Daphne couldn’t argue with that, especially if the Minister herself was asking him to complete the job. “How many others?” That was the only thing that had confused him thus far. Surely this wasn’t round two of the kidnappings the previous year, and if so, why? Blaise completely understood why Shacklebolt was taken, seeing as she was a perfect bargaining chip. Dupree was still a child as far as he was concerned, and whether or not anything that her group did made sense was yet to be seen. So far they managed to kill a couple people, kidnap a few on separate occasions, and get one of their main members killed at the hands of a couple inexperienced aurors. None of it had amounted to anything by his standards. “Of course I’ll take it.” He responded immediately upon the mention of Holmes’ name. “Is he aware of this yet? I wouldn’t mind sharing the credit of taking down Dupree with him.”

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Hermione scoffed a little; it certainly wasn't time to celebrate anything.  Elaine Dupree was still out there, and people were missing including Adeline Shacklebolt.  Harry had made a promise to Kingsley to always look out for his children if anything were to happen to him, and now the girl was kidnapped for a second time.  This time it felt personal; Hermione would do everything in her power to get them back, and as the newly-instilled Minister that power was quite great.  "Three not including Adeline, one is a Healer at Saint Mungos, then a tailors' apprentice from Madam Malkins, and finally a waiter from The Fountain of Fair Fortune.  All have been reported as quiet, passive type people, which is likely why they were targeted."  She paused, and looked down at the paper in front of them.  "Adeline was taken because of Abigail though; Elaine is aware of her involvement in the death of Desirae Rousseau and I'd be willing to stake that this is a trap.  I'm heading up to Royal Shacklebolt's office after this; Victoire wanted to talk to him about her resignation personally.  She did not see the note on her desk about Adeline."

Hermiones' eyes crinkled a little at Blaise mentioning he'd love to share the title of bringing down Elaine with Stephen Holmes, one of the more noted hitwizards the Ministry had at their disposal.  "He has not been briefed, but if you want to include him in this investigation you have my approval," she told him.  "Have there been any cases that would have had any hint of Elaine attached to them?" she asked him curiously.


blaise leo zabini

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@hermionejean

Apparently his sarcasm wasn’t needed right now. No matter, they’d all be laughing it up in a short while when he came back to the Ministry with Dupree’s limp body in tow. Blaise was quite aware that not all members of the Ministry, some aurors included, were incapable of taking a life. It was far from an easy thing to do, but these dark witches and wizards didn’t care about whether or not they were going to be brought in alive. Fight or flight was their lifestyle of choice, and so far only one of them had made the smart decision to fight, leading a rather young auror to have a kill count already. He wanted to say he was impressed that she managed to execute things properly in the heat of the moment, seeing as they were typically tasked with only subduing and bringing in the bad guys.

Blaise picked up a pen and pad of paper, starting to scribble the details of the others that had gone missing as the Minister continued to talk. Quite the interesting bunch to take. He couldn’t recall if the kidnappings at Hogwarts had gone the same way; targeting those that didn’t stick out as much and were rather passive ones. Muggleborns were of course killed, but that was a separate issue as far as he was concerned. That was then, this was now. “Anything else common about them, other than that they’re quiet people? Blood status, who they know, anything? Find it hard to believe it would be completely random, Shacklebolt aside.” Then again, this group hadn’t made sense to him from the start. “Probably don’t need to tell you that placing a security detail on the other auror in the Rousseau case would be a smart idea.”

He was slightly surprised that he was granted access to the hitwizards. Quite the treat, actually. Despite having permission from the Minister herself, there was still a hitch in that. Holmes had to accept the offer first, and it was possible he’d pass it off to someone else in the department. Really, they were all rather capable at picking off nasty characters, so any old hitwizard would do just fine. Blaise simply felt that their chances of success here were heightened with Holmes’ presence. “Once we’re finished here I’ll head straight over. Time is of the essence of course. I’d like Miss Shacklebolt back in her desk by tomorrow if possible.” Blaise knew this wasn’t the time for jabs like that, but it was the only way to show that he was serious about finding his junior. As for cases, there weren’t too many that pinpointed to anything in particular. “Not that I can recall. I imagine if things are happening, they’re either blackmailing people or putting them under the Imperius Curse. We’ve seen it happen before. It has been rather quiet as of late, really only have had the stereotypical mistakes that require some memory modifications. A lack of buzz could mean there are things afoot.” Or nothing at all. It was either or, really. Blaise was hesitant to jump to conclusions simply because his work had slowed down in the past few weeks.

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Hermione sighed a little; it did not surprise her that Blaise was not taking the threat of the nineteen-year old all too seriously. But she had been doing her diligent research on Elaine for the past month now, and what she had been able to find out made it perfectly clear that she was cold, calculating, expecting every possible move at once. Charging into her hideout guns a blazing would result in loss of life that would not be her own. “I warn you not t underestimate her or convince yourself that due to her age she will be an easy kill; Elaine is not Desirae Rousseau, she is a powerful, calculating and ruthless witch of extreme magical and physical skill. Tread carefully; the main point of this mission will be to rescue Adeline Shacklebolt,” she warned Blaise.

She heard a small gasp of surprise behind her, and whirled around to see a hastily retreating figure. Her heart almost stopped when she realized who she was; Abigail Shacklebolt. The girl must have come down to see if her sister was at her desk and overheard their conversation. What had she heard, all of it, some of it, just that last sentence? She didn’t know, but now everything was different. Abby was always the firecracker of the three Shacklebolt children; Harry had expressed his concern of her passing the Auror training multiple times before now. She was more than capable of going rogue, and when it came to her sister Hermione fully expected her to. “Damnit,” she swore, then turned back to Blaise. “The situation has changed Mr. Zabini, I will not be sending a hitwizard and an Obliviator into this situation any further. As you saw Abigail has just discovered that her twin sister is missing and is a high risk case of going rogue. I will be handling this now,” she told him abruptly, taking the memo up from his desk. She had to get in contact with Theodorus, only he could be trusted to get the Shacklebolt twins out of this mess now.

blaise leo zabini

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@hermionejean

Blaise didn’t need to be reminded nor warned about Elaine Dupree. If he had the chance in the foreseeable future to snuff her tiny, insignificant life out of this plain of existence, he wouldn’t hesitate to do so. That was him being a conscientious, caring citizen, not a member of the Ministry. Cold-blooded murder or not, anyone that had the ability and chance to take her down once and for all should. Blaise would gladly do time in Azkaban for that kill. The Minister, and all those below her, should have realized that the scare tactics put on by this group, children or not, was exactly what they wanted. They had all lived through the last war, they knew exactly what to expect out of a bunch of pups trying to act like a pack of wolves. Hermione’s warnings simply bounced off of him, which he was sure was going to draw quite a bit of discontent from the newly appointed Minister. “Rescue Shacklebolt and deplete their numbers if possible. Relatively easy if they don’t see it coming from a mile away, which I’m sure they will.” They wouldn’t have just grabbed the girl and run off with her without expecting some kind of rescue team being sent in, even if they were still kids.

He tilted his head around the Minister to see the twin standing there. That was perfect. In a second here they were going to have two more dead Shacklebolts, rounding off at a nice solid three in the last few years. He couldn’t blame Adeline for getting kidnapped, but her twin was the more headstrong, jump into the fray without thinking, right? Great way to kick the bucket. “If you catch her soon, I can work some magic and make her forget she even heard any of this.” Blaise joked, trying to relieve the strenuous tension that had practically exploded in front of his desk. “Jokes aside, I’ll reel in my team and wait for the orders to disperse in case you need backup out there. Memory modification might be our specialty, but some of the idiots we deal with fight back, so we’re not rusty on those skills.” He watched the memo that had been placed on his desk disappear back into the Minister’s hands. There went his shot to become a hitwizard again and work with Holmes.

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Hermione was rather relieved that Blaise did not try to press the subject, or protest her decisions. That was the last thing that she needed; people questioning her very first decisions as Minister for Magic.  Luckily Blaise realized that with Abigail, the possibility of going rogue was too high to send in himself and Holmes, and that a different route must be taken to ensure the rescue of the Shacklebolt girl.  Theo would know where Adeline was being hidden as he still held rank with Elaine, but she was still a little wary.  Playing the double agent role was notoriously difficult, as history proved.  What happens when Theo was found out?

"If we can find her and she needs to forget what she saw, I'll bring her to you," Hermione promised, privately thinking 'or you to her' in case Adeline needed to be taken to Saint Mungos.  Being Elaines' captive the last time had almost irreversably damaged Adeline emotionally; she didn't want to know what Elaine had in store for the girl this time.  "Try and keep peoples' knowledge of her disappearance to a minimum would you?  Let's try and keep this as close to the heart as possible."  She sighed, running a hand through her hair.  "I have to go inform Royal of his sisters disappearance now that Abigail knows, hopefully he will be more level headed than his sister," she informed him.  With a small, curt nod she turned on her heel and swept away to the Junior Assistants' office in the level above.


blaise leo zabini

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@hermionejean

Blaise was intrigued by the fact that he had just been granted permission to wipe such simple memories away, when he was simply joking about it. Upon further review though, there was definitely going to be some memory modification after this whole ordeal was over with, whether it was to protect those kidnapped or to make those who did the kidnapping forget everything they knew and loved. Those were Blaise’s favorites, the ones that squirmed fully aware that in a mere matter of seconds they wouldn’t know who they were. Luckily that was saved for the really nasty ones, those that didn’t die in the fight to bring them in, and he had only administered a handful of full memory wipes at best. The consequence of doing that was that the person was then a liability for St. Mungo’s for the remainder of their life, void of virtually everything but the present. While he wasn’t supposed to pity them, watching everything blink away was only fun in the moment that it happened. They might not remember any of it, but Blaise did. A much younger him would call that being soft, the more current him calling it reality. That’s how things were now. “Hopefully we don’t have to go that far though. Hate to delve into coworkers’ thoughts.” Plus he knew if it did come to that, there were going to be vials included, and someone was going to have to watch the replay of everything that went down.

“My lips are sealed.” This was clearly not something they wanted the public to know of, even more so a good portion of the Ministry. Panic never solved anything, and keeping it under wraps for only those it pertained to was the best way to get everything done quickly and effectively. He certainly couldn’t argue with that line of thinking. “Good luck. Not necessary to keep me in the loop if there are more pressing matters at hand. I’ll find out eventually.” That was probably as sincere as he could be about it too, seeing as it wasn’t technically his concern at this point. Hopefully the right people were placed on the job and got everything done the right way.

[THE END]