The Meaning Of Order (Daniel Lloyd)

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There was a great deal that changed in Draco as he grew from a teen to an adult. A lot of the hatred in his heart that was inherited from his father was gone. He may not have been necessarily kinder or gentler, but he was certainly more mature and respectful. When he took on the position of Minister of Magic, he he made it clear to the public and to those he knew in his private life that he was here to serve all wizards and witches be they Pureblood, Half-Blood, or Muggle-born, and would do so with no prejudice. Little by little, he would remedy his mistakes of the past.

But as much as Draco had grown to be respectful, even to former rivals such as Harry Potter, he was still stubborn in a lot of ways. When it came to the matter of the recent dark happenings, he wanted to the Ministry and the Ministry alone to handle it. He wanted this darkness to be taken care of long before it turned into an all-out war. And therefore, he didn't want The Order of the Phoenix involved.

Draco knew of several who were members of the Order. Many of them were famous after all, and their membership was no secret. Among those he knew that were in it was his Senior Undersecretary Daniel Lloyd. Draco had a lot of faith and trust in Daniel. The man had never failed him. And it was Daniel he felt he needed to speak to on this manner. So standing by his desk, he awaited Daniel to enter his office.

@danlloyd

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Daniel double-checked he looked professional and presentable in an enchanted mirror waiting to be polished outside Magical Objects and Artifacts, then continued briskly to the Minister's office. He had often wondered if it was in fact Mr Malfoy who had had a hand in his promotion, but he realised he might never know. He had some files in his hands, ready for the next stop after his meeting with the Minister, an impromptu briefing with Mr Valentine concerning Cora Veltrino. He half-wondered if maybe they would be useful now, as well. He arrived and let Draco's people know, and was shown in with a polite, "The Minister will see you now."

He entered the room, a professional smile on his lips. "I came as soon as I could, sir. How can I be of assistance?" He extended his hand. He had never known quite where he stood with the older generations of the Ministry, especially now that he was promoted, so he decided to play it safe until he had a better idea.

@dracomalfoy

((Little bits of Lloyd's story are in this, right at the end))

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Draco had a lot of respect for Daniel. After all, he was one of the people who pushed for the man to become Senior Undersecretary. The man was intelligent, dedicated, and a hard worker. Draco could ask for nothing more. Well... almost nothing more. In this case, he had a big favor to ask of Daniel and he knew it might be difficult for the young man to swallow. But it wasn't a command or an official order. It was merely a favor from one friend to another.

"It's quite alright, Daniel," said Draco with a small smile. "This is not an official meeting. I needed to talk to you as a friend, not as an employee. Please sit down. I'll have tea brought in."

Draco then seated himself and called for his personal secretary to bring in the tea. He then looked at Daniel.

"Daniel... I am aware that along with your work here, you have chosen to become a member of The Order of the Phoenix," he said. "In part, I'd say that's very admirable of you. I believe the Order is a strong force in the defense against those who perform dark magic. However, I also feel the Order should only be called upon as a last resort. That is what I wish to speak to you about."

Draco paused to let Daniel respond before we went on.

@danlloyd

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Daniel sat and made himself slightly more comfortable, his curiousity piqued. He listened thoughtfully, and nodded when Draco mentioned his involvement with the Order. He knew some people would have wondered how Draco knew, but Daniel was a quick learner, and he had realised how small the wizarding community was only a month or so out of high school.

His brow furrowed slightly when the Minister expressed his opinion about the Order. "I do agree, sir. I think it's prudent to show our support for them, though, and now rather than later. However, I did notice a few... less than respectable members might be involved. I suppose it's to be expected, but it leaves them open to a lot of backlash if they ever make a public mistake." He had been quite guarded at the meeting, and those same reservations came through now. He did hope that the Minister wouldn't forbid him from attending nonetheless; Mr. Valentine's case was disturbing, to say the least. If nothing else, a little extra-legal action ahead of time might save countless lives. And then there was that potion, supposedly linked to Cora Veltrino...

@dracomalfoy

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Draco listened with an eyebrow raised as Daniel spoke of there being member of the Order that were less respectable members among the ranks of the Order. This was not good news. Just because Draco felt the Order shouldn't be called upon until needed didn't mean he didn't want them there and fully dedicated when they were called upon. To have a weak link... or Merlin forbid a traitor in the Order could not only hurt them, but the Ministry as well.

"If I may be permitted to ask, just who are those among your ranks that you find to be... less than respectable?" he said. "If the fight with these dark forces becomes so intense that the Order is indeed needed, we cannot anyone involve compromising victory against said dark forces. Have you spoken to Potter about this, or any of the Weasleys? I feel it might be in their best interests to weed out those who will prove to be more of a liability than an asset."

Draco then returned to the subject at hand.

"All in all, I am trusting to ensure the Order stays out of this matter until such time when... or rather if the Ministry needs them," he said. "Can you do that for me?"

@danlloyd

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Daniel hastily tried to clarify. "Well, not as in criminal, just... I don't know, young, I suppose. I had expected to be the youngest member by at least five years, but instead I found there were some who could be children. I'm sure they're perfectly capable, and their guardians were present, so it's not a matter of consent, just... morality, I suppose."

He ruminated on this briefly, already regretting having mentioned it, but he had been quite taken aback at the age of some of the members. And he doubted speaking to Potter or the Weaselys would do much good; for the most part, they were all related, and clearly comfortable enough with it to allow it. Had he been their parents, he would never have... But he wasn't. It felt good telling Draco. Despite his seniority in the Ministry now, one definite disadvantage of his promotion was that Lloyd felt slightly unable to make calls on this kind of thing. When the Minister asked him to subtly keep the Order in check, he agreed at once. It would give him time to figure out exactly how dangerous it was for these younger members, and decide on a course of action.

"Yes, sir, I think I can do that." Something occurred to him. "If I may, why are you not involved with the Order? From almost every angle, it seems like very good sense to be completely open and honest with official channels."

@dracomalfoy

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Draco listened and understood Daniel's worry. The Order had great veteran members in it, but perhaps allowing ones so young to come in was a risk. Unfortunately, Draco had no control over who they let in.

"I see," he said calmly. "Perhaps if you are unable to convince the veteran members of their potential error in allowing such young folk in, you can be of service by helping to mold them into better members. Not only that, you can ensure that they form a respect for the Ministry early on. After all, there are times when the Order has defied the Ministry's wishes. Teaching the younger members not to do so early on might prove to be a good idea."

Draco was glad that Daniel was willing to help. Daniel was a good man and perhaps some day he himself could take over as Minister. He certainly possessed the virtues to be a good one.

"Thank you, Daniel," he said. He then raised an eyebrow at the question Daniel added.

"The Order and I have a history together, and much of it is not very pleasant," he said. "I think that while they respect the fact that I have grown up from the wily lad I was, they still feel it wouldn't be in their best interest to keep me as a close ally. I tend to agree though. The Ministry and the Order will always be two vastly different entities, though we believe in many of the same things."

Draco sipped his tea and looked at Daniel.

"Now that the business with the Order is settled, I must ask what your personal perspective is on all the recent happenings?" he asked. "Do you think we are heading into another war?"


@danlloyd

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Daniel nodded slowly as Draco spoke, his eyes unfocused as he both listened attentively and considered the possible courses of action. He could definitely help shape them into better members, and he found it a good compromise that he could enact, should he fail to persuade the Order to drop it's youngest members. Not that he would tell them, of course. Just that he could sleep easier at night knowing that he had some recourse to fall back on. And, perhaps him being so close in age would turn out to be an advantage. His face cleared, wondering why he hadn't thought to schedule a meeting with the Minister in the first place.

He realised he had possibly touched on a sore spot, but he didn't worry too much about it. Draco hardly seemed the type to stay awake at night, wracked with regrets from 20 years ago. It was better Daniel have more information so he could figure out how to play it with the Order members. Much as he was willing to fight, possibly even die, for the freedom of the Wizarding world, he found he tended to agree with Draco on the majority of issues concerning the liberties allowed to organisations outside the Ministry. He was still glad when the Minister changed the subject.

In truth, he had been wondering the same thing for the past week or so. If not war, then what could all the rumbling activity just outside his view mean?

"I feel somewhat poorly equipped to make that kind of judgement, but I must admit..." He paused to collect his thoughts, then sat forward to mark things off with his fingers. "Cora Veltrino escaped from Azkaban recently, as I'm sure you're aware. It's unusual, but it's happened before." One finger went down. "Next is the disturbing increase of attacks on Muggleborns and Muggles in this past year." Another finger. "Next, Mr. Valentine of the Auror's Department seems quite sure that there's a scramble to find ingredient to mass-produce a Veltrino family-specific Draught of Living Death. I have people researching potential antidotes, but we still have no idea where or when such a thing might be implemented." That last sentence was more of an aside, and only a third finger went down. "Lastly, the Order of the Phoenix has been reactivated. Obviously I was just a child the last time the were active, but from what I know, they don't sit up and pay attention over nothing."

He frowned. "I don't believe in coincidences, sir, not when they start stacking up. Even if only two of those four things are related, it's still a bad sign. I never had the displeasure of meeting Cora Veltrino, but she does seem well-placed to step into He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's footsteps." A true politician's answer.

@dracomalfoy

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Draco listened to his analysis, and it was certainly sound. The recent happenings could have very well had a connection and an ominous one. It made Malfoy cringe a bit inside. He had fought so hard to keep the peace in the Wizarding World. He had dedicated almost half his life to it now in some form or another. And his biggest fear was that it would suddenly unravel before his very eyes, perhaps over night.

"I agree that these events cannot be a coincidence," he said. "Especially the Vetrino case. I've had conducted a full investigation on Cora's escape. She must be apprehended and questioned. Why can't Potter do his damned job and concentrate on that instead of gathering his old friends together? Regardless of whether or not Cora Veltrino is behind this all, her capture would give us something for Merlin's sake!" Draco then calmed himself. "I will have to speak to Potter myself. He must agree to approach this using the proper protocol. I know his family being attacked has affected his mind, and I don't blame him for that, but we must all keep level heads if we are to stop those responsible." He then looked at Daniel with a raised eyebrow. "And Merlin forbid we have another Voldemort out there." If there was someone else, Draco felt it was no longer an issue to say Voldemort's name.

@danlloyd

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Daniel nodded. Though was still too junior to admit it, he was pretty fed up with Harry Potter playing the game by his own rules too. From what he'd heard, it had been the same in the Second Wizarding War, but at least then he'd had a reason, being the Chosen One and all. This time was different. There was no reason at all that whoever was running the recent upsurge in dark activity would view him as anything more than a relic, a symbol to be destroyed to strengthen their cause. The same could be said for lots of people, though.

He suppressed a reflexive shudder when Draco said Voldemort. "Minister, you can count of my full support. Unity in the face of adversity is what has saved us in the past. I will be discreet, but I will hopefully be able to keep the lines of communication open between the Ministry and the Order. After all, we are on the same side, as you said. And, Merlin forbid it comes to it, but they could be a good last resort should anything go wrong on the official side of it. I'm not sure how regular their meetings will be, but I'll do my best to give you a concise report on each gathering. I can send you a brief minutes list of the first one by this afternoon, if it suits you."

@dracomalfoy

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(Wrapping it up)

Draco listened as Daniel agreed to be the good and loyal man he was. Draco knew he picked the right man for the job. He rose and stepped over, patted his friend on the shoulder.

"I have the utmost faith in you," he said. "What say you and I take this meeting to Malfoy Manor over a few glasses of scotch, perhaps even dinner? I trust Astoria won't mind the company of the Senior Undersecretary... and a family friend." Draco then stepped over and opened the office door for Daniel in another show of respect. "After you, sir."

(End)