The circus surrounding Arthur's flying car incident was even worse than Lucius initially imagined. Everyone wanted to accuse him of intentional exposure, whispers of Grindelwald's agenda even reemerged, and it overall was a disaster. Every day he wondered how Arthur was holding up. He of course was used to quelling heat from the Ministry, but Arthur didn't seem the type to be in hot water often.

A week into it, he sent Arthur a note of encouragement. Since Narcissa had admitted to reading the letters he received, he addressed it merely 'A.'. He decided, grimly, if she was in fact reading his notes to Arthur, he'd claim to be having an affair with Narcissa's estranged sister, Andromeda. She wouldn't even be able to verify it since they hadn't spoken in almost two decades.

After sending his owl off with the note, he decided he couldn't wait any longer to see Arthur. He'd pay the Minister a friendly visit confirming this school year's Board of Governors, of which he was the chairman. It was on his list of obligations anyway, and Hogwarts had been in session for a week, so the timing would be appropriate enough.

He improved his appearance and rubbed on some cologne. Assessing his reflection, he felt a mixture of excitement and anxiety. What if Arthur doesn't even want to see me? He thought, tucking a hair back into place. He'd barely nodded to him on the train platform and while he'd seemed lustful in the Leaky Cauldron, perhaps Lucius had just imagined it? There was only one way to find out. He smoothed his robes for the fifth time and took a long, deep breath to calm down.

Arthur's heart lightened when he saw the familiar handwriting among his mail. He'd been getting more post than ever before as news spread he'd been the flying Ford Anglia's owner. Fortunately, the majority of it was being sent to his office and not the Burrow; otherwise he'd never hear the end of it from Molly. The post mostly was howlers, though a few uncomfortable "Glad to see someone taking a stand. Keep up the noble work." messages had come from some purebloods Lucius had introduced to him at his party.

Arthur slid apart the blank wax seal eagerly, hoping for a follow-up from Lucius' fourth note with a meeting date and time.

A.-

Thinking of you during this difficult time. I wish I could do something to help, but given my reputation, I would likely only make things worse. Hang in there.

Yours.

Arthur shoved the note in his file with the others. Hang in there?! He thought. That's all he can offer me?

He rubbed his face, exhausted from all the unwanted attention and utter lack of sleep. Molly was speaking to him again, mostly to berate him, but she'd admonished him to the couch. It was too lumpy and too short to afford a comfortable night's rest. He'd barely slept a wink all week, which had not been helpful during the two inquiries he'd faced the day before. He'd told Molly they went fine, but he didn't have a good a feeling about either of them.

A new memo flew at him then and Arthur caught it before it could fall in the pile of letters.

Arthur,

Please come see me in my office as soon as you can. Quite urgent.

With all the best regards,

Cornelius Fudge, O.M. (First Class)

A heaviness moved through Arthur as he felt certain he was about to be sacked. How could he possibly face Molly without a job? They had already used up the small inheritance he received after his parents passed a few years ago to set up Bill and Charlie and to replace the range and oven. And to buy the Ford Anglia. Arthur thought glumly.

"Excuse me, do you have ears? What floor?" the lift operator asked, and Arthur realized he'd already made his way from his basement office to the lifts. He felt quite separated from his own body at the moment.

"Top floor. Minister Fudge's office." Arthur said.

"You must be important." The lift operator whistled.

Arthur merely grunted.

It was the fastest lift ride he'd ever experienced, even if it took exactly as long as it usually did. When the operator announced, "Top Floor. Minister for Magic's offices," Arthur felt physically ill. He trudged out of the lift, lead-footed down the hall to Minister Fudge's office.

By the time he reached the door, he was certain they'd be sending him to Azkaban for treason. Then Molly would have to live with the shame of being married to a traitor and all his children would be branded thusly. He exhaled miserably and knocked on the Minister's door.

"Come in!" called Fudge from inside.

Arthur pushed into the office and past the Minister's bright green bowler hat on the hat stand.

"Ah, Arthur, have a seat." Cornelius said.

There were two lavender velvet arm chairs in front of Fudge's desk, one already occupied by Lucius Malfoy, and Arthur blinked a few times as he finally noticed him.

"Lucius? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for a friendly visit only." Lucius replied.

"Yes, that's right. Much to go over for the Hogwarts Board of Governors." Fudge nodded.

When Lucius didn't move and the Minister made no indication he should leave, Arthur resigned himself to the fact that Lucius would be present for the end of his career. The entire week was just one mounting embarrassment after another and it truly was only fitting it should culminate this way. He slid into the open chair.

"Now it's a nasty business, Arthur, but I do still need your formal statement that your son Ronald's actions were not part of some larger plot to expose us." Minister Fudge pushed some parchment towards Arthur. "Review this and sign your agreeance."

Arthur threw Lucius a wary glance before reading the parchment.

Lucius sat quietly, watching Arthur with compassion. He looked terrible, purplish bruises under his eyes and his remaining hair in uncombed disarray. Wrinkles marred his robes and Lucius wanted nothing more than to snuggle against him on a blanket somewhere in the sunshine and reassure him everything would be all right.

"Here you are, Minister. That should be all?" Arthur said. He pushed the now signed parchment across the desk. It appeared he was not getting sacked today after all.

"Not quite, the committee wants to hear you and your son's testimony on the matter." Fudge said.

Both Lucius and Arthur balked at his. There was no way Ron could make it through a formal hearing without mucking it up.

"He'll miss classes though." Arthur protested.

"Come now, Cornelius, surely the written statement supersedes any spoken testimony. There's no need to further interrupt Arthur's Ministry work or the boy's education." Lucius cocked his head thoughtfully to add, "In fact, that sounds quite a bit like a misuse of resources to me."

"You know, you're right." Cornelius said after a moment of contemplation.

Arthur grew redder than normal. He'd never had someone stand up for him like this. Typically he was the one standing up for other people, and rarely did he win the argument so easily as Lucius just had for him.

"Let me just sign and seal this, and Lucius if you can act as the witness and sign, too?" Fudge said.

"Of course, Minister. Happy to be of assistance."

Arthur sat in muted shock while Lucius signed as witness and stood up.

"I need to get going, I'm afraid, Cornelius." He shook the minister's hand then turned to Arthur, "You seem to be all finished here as well."

Arthur found his voice as he jumped to his feet, relieved to be done with this entire ordeal.

"Yes, I believe so. Minister?" Arthur said.

"Yes, we are all set. No wait, I nearly forgot about the fine." Fudge said with a frown.

"The fine?" Arthur asked with alarm.

"Yes," Fudge said, scanning a memo for the amount. "Ah, here. One hundred galleons is what the committee agreed on."

"One hundred galleons?!" Arthur gasped.

"That does seem rather steep for an incident with only a week's worth of backlash." Lucius chimed in.

"We had to send a full team of Obliviators!" Cornelius puffed.

"Who I am certain were compensated appropriately for doing their basic job duties through their usual salary." Lucius said.

"Th-the committee agreed." Cornelius stammered.

"I'll have to go to Gringotts." Arthur said. "I don't carry that amount of money on my person."

Lucius thought fast, wanting this whole thing to be over so he could get Arthur alone.

"This seems so complicated. Listen," he reached into his pocket to remove his coin purse, unceremoniously emptying its contents onto Fudge's desk. He counted quickly in groups of ten. "Fifty galleons seems appropriate as a fine, and it's what I have on me. You can pay me back later, Arthur. Will this work, Minister?"

Arthur held his breath, glancing between Lucius and the Minister. Lucius' expression clearly showed he wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Yes, this should work." The Minister said, collecting the money. He didn't appear like he would be passing the fine on for processing. He stood with a bright smile and led the two men to the door. "Happy to put this business behind us, Arthur. Keep an eye on that son of yours."

"Yes, sir, I will." Arthur said.

Fudge closed the door leaving Arthur and Lucius alone in the hallway.

"Well, that's over with." Lucius said.

"I suppose we should go to Gringotts to get you your fifty galleons." Arthur said.

"That seems wholly unnecessary all things considered." Lucius smiled. "You don't need to pay me back. It's not the first bribe I've given him."

Arthur raised his eyebrows and Lucius smirked.

"I'll walk you back to your office, Arthur." He said and moved swiftly towards the lifts, leaving Arthur little choice but to follow.

The same lift operator was working and did a bit of a double take as Arthur shuffled in after Lucius.

"Basement?" the lift operator asked Arthur.

"Yes, thank you."

"And you, sir?"

"Basement as well." Lucius said.

They rode in silence, a full foot apart from each other, and didn't speak until they heard the noise of the lift disappearing back up.

"This way." Arthur ushered Lucius into the area of the basement his office was in.

It was a massive space with an open layout, littered with random Muggle artefacts and abandoned cubicles. Lucius let out a laugh as he realized he was the one responsible for Arthur's office being so conveniently isolated and out of the way. All the suggestions of waste he'd made to Fudge over the years about the Department of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts. He thanked his past self for the inadvertent foresight to this moment.

"Enjoying the view down here?" Arthur quipped at his laugh.

"I am, yes." Lucius said. It wasn't a lie, as Arthur was the only thing to look at. "Is no one else down here?"

"No, just my department, which thanks to you, consists of only me and Perkins now." Arthur said sharply.

"Where is Perkins?"

"Upstairs in my old office. He's too feeble to work without any sunlight." Arthur shrugged. "I needed somewhere to store everything though."

"Well, at least it's quiet." Lucius said.

"Honestly, it's nice to have this much space and quietude with so much chaos at home." Arthur admitted.

"Ah, then you should be thanking me it seems?" Lucius grinned.

"Give me back my staff of ten and then perhaps I will thank you." Arthur said, continuing across the large room with ease.

"Is there an actual office or do you just sit somewhere in all this?" Lucius asked, stepping carefully to not trip over the wire from some Muggle gadget on the floor.

"Yes," Arthur led him to a door on the far end of the room and shot him a look. "If I close the door, I can almost pretend my entire team wasn't redistributed."

Lucius followed him through the threshold and closed and locked the door behind them. He took in the distinctly Arthur Weasley office. Various Muggle artefacts cluttered the floor and shelves on one half, but the desk and surrounding workspace on the other half was completely tidy and spotlessly clean.

Most people assumed Arthur a total mess, married to the now dumpy Molly, but it wasn't the case at all. Lucius knew him to be the two poles of cleanliness, as if his brain operated in two separate dimensions. Most people had not studied Arthur as thoroughly as Lucius had, of course.

He set down his cane on the coat rack, which housed two umbrellas and a blue bowler hat decorated with what looked to be a Phoenix feather.

"Not to be rude, but I have quite a bit of work to catch up on." Arthur said, eyeing Lucius as he appeared to be making himself comfortable.

"I almost forgot how tidy you are." Lucius ran a gloved finger over the shelf behind Arthur's desk and turned the framed photos of his family face down.

"Did you plan all of this?" Arthur asked, walking over to his desk.

"All of what?" Lucius asked as he took off his gloves and slipped them into his robe pocket. His eyes roamed the room for any other photos or portraits, finding one of Molly on the desk along with one of Arthur's late parents.

"Having Fudge send for me while you were there. That ridiculous note, 'hang in there'. The fine?"

"No. I sent you the note, which I intended to be thoughtful not ridiculous, and then realized I needed to see you." Lucius said as he turned the photo of Arthur's parents face down.

"You could have just come to my office."

"I have to have a reason to show up at the Ministry." Lucius explained.

He moved to turn the picture frame of Molly face down, but Arthur stopped him.

"Don't touch that."

Arthur's grip was strong. Lucius' nostrils flared and his jaw tightened. Arthur became now fully aware that his hand was wrapped around Lucius' as they stared at each other. Slowly, wordlessly, Arthur moved to put the photo face down on his desk.

"I don't know if I can." Arthur said.

"Why not?"

"Too many terrible things have happened between 1967 and now." Arthur said, surprised at how rational he was being given how badly he wanted to feel Lucius' mouth on his again.

"I know. Probably better than you." Lucius said tightly, realizing with a panic that Arthur may not actually like him. That it wasn't even about any obstacle or risk, but him and his past.

They stood locked in silence, Arthur's hand still over Lucius' on his desk.

"Can we at least try?" Lucius asked. He brushed his fingers up against Arthur's palm and added, "Please."

Arthur's heart pounded uncontrollably fast. He swallowed hard and thought of Molly, her picture facedown just beneath their forbidden touch. He took Lucius' hand into his and pulled him away from the picture. Lucius interpreted this a yes and slid his fingers through Arthur's. They both inhaled. Even this simple action felt thrilling. Lucius stepped closer to Arthur, casting a final look of caution towards the locked office door.

"You are the only other person who's been down here in eight months." Arthur said. "We're alone."

Lucius smiled at him the same way he had on the couch in Gryffindor Tower. Arthur's throat went dry as he realized he may be the only person to know that smile.

Lucius cupped Arthur's cheek and whispered, "I can't stop thinking about you."

"No one can know." Arthur managed to get out before Lucius pressed his lips to his.

This first kiss was soft, restrained.

"No one will know. Same vow." Lucius whispered back, looking Arthur in the eye.

"Same vow." Arthur agreed.

With that agreement, something unlocked inside them both and they smiled at each other with giddiness. Arthur grabbed Lucius' face, pulling it to his for a series of happy kisses. Lucius' mouth had only become stronger and sharper with age and Arthur grew lost in it. Lucius found Arthur as comfortable as their first kiss, as if no time had actually passed. But time had passed, and he had a lot more experience now than before. He pushed his tongue into Arthur's mouth, which Arthur caught with his own, quickly demonstrating he had far more experience now than he had at seventeen. They kissed and touched freely for some time before Arthur pulled away.

"This is a first, you know." He said.

"Is it?" Lucius didn't know what he meant.

"Yes, I've never before had something you wanted so desperately you had to beg me for it."

Lucius smirked and bit his lip. He ran his hand over Arthur's chest, his eyes darkened with lust, and asked, "Do you want me to beg on my knees?"

Arthur felt his erection thicken. He tucked a loose strand of silky hair behind Lucius' ear and said, "Oh, that would be most preferable."

"Good lord, Arthur." Lucius breathed. "I didn't think I could want you any more than I already did."

"It's been a very long, very trying week for me, Lucius. Do you really need to talk so much?"

Lucius bit his lower lip again, grinning as he shook his head slowly twice before kissing Arthur with even more passion than before. His hands busied themselves with Arthur's robes and he determined it would easier to do this if Arthur was sitting down. He moved them around the desk, pushing Arthur gently down into his chair, and lowered himself in front of him. He pulled his robes up again, kissing the freckles on Arthur's pale kneecaps and tracing up his inner thighs with his lips. Arthur's soft moans filled the air between them.

Lucius tugged on his underpants and Arthur lifted himself so he could remove them.

"Oh," Lucius uttered with delight once Arthur was fully exposed. His pubic hair was a reddish blond like his chest hair had been twenty-five years ago and he was a beautiful shape, somehow perfectly symmetrical.

Arthur let out a laugh recounting how he'd imagined this exact scenario just a week ago. Lucius' eyes shot up to him questioningly.

"I just can't believe this is happening." Arthur said.

Lucius took in his sky-blue eyes for a moment, enjoying how full of life they were, before he said, "You have no idea."

He then opened his mouth and swallowed the length of Arthur, who let out a strangled yelp of pleasure. After a few experimental passes, Lucius formed a wet rhythm and Arthur's fingers found their way through his glossy hair. His grip caused it to muss and tangle as the pleasure increased, until sooner than normal he felt his orgasm building.

Arthur jerked his hips away out of habit. On the rare occasions he got oral sex from Molly, she preferred he pulled out before he finished. Lucius followed his hips backwards though, taking him deeper inside himself as Arthur climaxed. The sensation of Lucius' mouth in that moment was phenomenal, unlike anything Arthur had experienced, and he lost himself to the pleasure.

When he returned to reality, Lucius had stood and was grinning down at him. Arthur smiled lazily up at him. He gave Lucius' torso a tug to bend him at the waist, so he could kiss him.

"Did you enjoy that?" Lucius asked between kisses.

"Yes, yes I did." Arthur said.

"Good, because I really enjoyed that."

"We should probably do it again some time." Arthur said.

"So, my begging worked?"

Arthur laughed and shifted to pull his underpants back on. He stood, his robes falling down into place, and pulled Lucius against his chest. Running his fingers through the base of the blond's now messy hair, he murmured, "Yes, I want to try this."

Lucius melted into his embrace, savoring it more than anything else they'd done that afternoon.