Disclaimer notes and warnings on prologue.

Repercussions

Chapter Eighteen

"So tomorrow we have to sit through my cousin's wedding," Oliver said from the other side of the bed where he was supposedly answering fan mail. "I think we should just skip out on the whole thing don't you?" He ignored him as he wasn't going to get into that again. "Ok, I know we have to go but couldn't you at least pretend to be as bummed out about this as me?"

"I'm actually looking forward to it," he said watching Oliver react with mock horror. "I imagine we will be ignored by the majority and can spend most of our time talking with Battina and a few others from the ministry."

"Well Battina's all right but most of the rest of your ministry friends are really boring," Oliver said with a snort. He refused to take offense since to him Oliver's quidditch team mates were equally boring. "Can we at least dress in leather and freak out my mom?"

"No," he said with a slight smirk. "If you want to do that you're with the wrong Weasley." He couldn't resist teasing Oliver a little. "Now George might go for that but I'm not sure Susan would like you asking him out?"

"Funny Perce," Oliver said smiling slightly. "Really funny." He turned back to his own paper work and then heard Oliver laughing so he turned back toward him. "I just realized if I told George about this conversation he'd never believe you said that."

"I would deny saying it even if he did believe you," He said giving Oliver a wink. "I do have an image to maintain after all." Oliver gave up and laughed again. "Are you in a good enough mood now that I can get back to work?"

"Knock yourself out, Perce," Oliver said still smiling. "I should get back to answering this fan mail." He knew he was smiling as well as he finally got to go back to working on his paper work. He had given up trying not to bring work home with him and instead focused on only bringing a few essential things home. Of course as Oliver delighted in telling him his definition of essential was much too broad.

He supposed if he was honest some of it could have been put off until the following Monday but better safe than sorry. The fact that he actually still found his work extremely satisfying didn't hurt and allowed him to get some enjoyment out of activities that most would find boring. Of course the report he was currently reading was even boring to him but he'd never admit it out loud.

"Hey Perce," Oliver said some time later. "How much longer are you going to be?" He looked up to see Oliver smiling. "I'm done answering my fan mail and well since tomorrow is going to be hell I thought tonight could be heaven."

He found himself staring at Oliver in shock. "That was beyond a doubt the worst line I've ever heard." Oliver was still smiling. "I mean really I don't know if I ever want to have sex with you again after that horrible line."

"Of course you do," Oliver said smirking. "I'm a quidditch star; I don't need good lines." After that Oliver kissed him and he forgot all about his paper work or Oliver dumb line. "See told you I didn't need lines." Oliver said laughing after a moment.

XXXX

He yawned as he turned the page on the latest tome of wandlore Dima had given him to read. She'd snapped the first wand he'd made under her supervision immediately and given him this book and told him that tomorrow he'd have to explain what he did wrong. He was nearly finished with the book and was about to just give up and take off when he saw it. There on the bottom of the page was the answer he'd missed out on a single step in the preparation process.

He glanced over the clock and was surprised to find that he'd found it a lot sooner than he had expected. He briefly entertained the idea of maybe going out to a club to unwind or even stopping by to see how Ernie was doing. He abandoned those ideas quickly and went back to reading the rest of the book. He could just imagine Dima expecting him to have caught more than one error in his work.

He was startled by his phone ringing shortly there after. The only people whoever contacted him by phone were his non magical relatives. "Hello," he said answering quickly hoping it wasn't some kind of emergency. He was relieved when it turned out to just be his mother reminding him that she wanted him to come to Sunday dinner. "I'll be there mother," he said calmly. He frowned slightly as she said she had someone she wanted him to meet.

He really hoped his mother wasn't trying to set him up again as he'd told her he wasn't interested in seeing anyone especially not another non magical person. He also knew that if he started dating anyone and Dima found out he could kiss his apprenticeship good bye.

XXXX

She looked down at the last book she was painstakingly duplicating magically. She had one way around that Muggleborn's irritating little jinx. She had to give Potter the originals just as she'd promised but she'd never said she wouldn't make a copy of them for herself. Of course she still knew she couldn't publish them while she was alive. She was planning for the days after her funeral to make sure the wizarding world would never forget Rita Skeeter.

She smiled as the process finished and she put the copy with the rest of her legacy. The day she died shock waves would be sent through the wizarding world as she had left her collection of blackmail information to the prophet and other papers. She could only imagine that scandal when all of it hit the presses.

Her happy musings were interrupted by one of her proximity spells going off that indicated someone was paying her a very early morning visit. She quickly exited and sealed her storage room and headed up stairs to see who it was. She kept her wand at the ready because she'd had some bad experiences with ticked off subjects of her reporting.

She found out quickly that whoever had paid her a visit had only dropped off a small envelope. After a quick check for any dangerous spells or other dangers she opened it. "I have some very valuable information for you," She read aloud slightly amused. "If you are willing to pay enough for it of course." She stopped reading out loud and finished skimming it.

She almost had to laugh at the cloak and dagger routine as her would be source asked her to meet them immediately at a pub to discuss the cost of the information. She smiled as she burnt the note to a cinder with her wand and prepared to head to bed. She had long ago learned not to meet sources on their terms but on hers.

XXXX

"You look beautiful," her father said as he took in the dress robes she was wearing to the wedding. "As pretty as your mother did when I met her." She had to smile at his compliment even though she still felt guilty for accepting Battina's charity.

"I have to think you again dad, for watching David instead of going to the wedding with the rest of us." He just shook his head and told her to have fun with her mother and Aunts. She knew he really didn't like weddings but she could have found someone else to keep her son. "I'll be back soon," she said, "Bye David, Mommy loves you."

She headed out to meet her mother and the rest of the more well off family members. She was glad to see that her Aunt approved of her wardrobe. Her guilt at taking the charity was still there but now she was grateful that it kept her on her Aunt's good side. "Are we ready to go?" She asked knowing her aunt had final say on when they left.

"A few more minutes dear I don't want to arrive too early," Her aunt said with a haute smile. She resisted the slight temptation to ask why they had to meet up so early then but knew better. Her aunt's good will was too important to risk for the small annoyances staying in her good grace came with.

"It looks as if we are going to have perfect weather for Octavius' wedding today," her mother said possibly sensing her annoyance. "I am certainly looking forward to seeing some of our cousins again."

She wasn't as she was still the subject of some gossip amongst members of the family because of the circumstances surrounding the birth of her son. Over the last year or two it had died town to where it was only dusted off and used when there wasn't any other gossip to go around but she knew her appearance at the wedding would start a whole new round of it.

XXXX

She stifled a yawn as let herself into her flat. She'd spent hours watching the outside of Rita's house frustrated when the other reporter hadn't taken her bait and left the house to meet her fake source. She was kind of glad that she hadn't fallen for it because while sitting there she'd gotten thinking about everything that could go wrong with her plan to break into Rita's house. If she'd gotten caught, she could have gone to prison so it was probably best that she hadn't even got to try.

Still she had to find another story something to get her name back in the headlines before she was totally forgotten. She certainly knew that covering the Fudge family wedding wasn't going to get her name on the front page. She had to get changed and meet her photographer quickly or she wasn't going to make it on time. She could only hope she managed to stay awake through the entire ceremony.

She could at least look forward to the slight possibility of meeting a bachelor who might make a good marriage prospect. She wasn't so focused on her career that she was going to ignore her own plans for her future.

To be continued...

Yes another short one but I'm just glad to be making progress on this fic again.