the_debt_of_time

"And to you, Mr Fudge," she said briefly before returning her attention to the stack
of parchment in front of her.
"Junior Minister Fudge now."
Curious, Mia lifted a brow. "Oh?" She could tell he was expecting a word of
congratulation from her, but the expressionless look on her face said everything that words
could not. She could not give a nogtail's arse about his bloody promotion. "They've
assigned titles like that to promotions within the Department of Magical Accidents and
Catastrophes? That seems a bit.. ."
"Exciting?"
"Presumptuous," she corrected and watched with amusement as his ego deflated.
"What can I help you with, Mr Fudge?"
"Junior Minis―" he began to correct her, only to stop and clear his throat instead.
"I was wondering if you have seen Miss Parkinson?"
"Do you mean Laurel?" Mia asked, knowing better than to even look in the direction
of the broom cupboard where her friend was hiding herself away. "I'm sorry, Mr Fudge, I
was under the impression she was Mrs Greengrass now. Wasn't she married this winter?"
Fudge's countenance dropped once more, and the aura of ego that he tried to wrap
himself in faded to one of bitter self-pity. He rolled his eyes as he drawled, "Oh yes, that
business. I had forgotten."
Mia copied his eye roll, but for quite a different reason.
She had been a driving influence in Laurel's marriage. When her friend approached
her in a fit of worry over her many suitors, the two sat down to lunch at the Leaky where
Laurel showed Mia a list of wizards who had made offers for her hand. Cornelius had, in
fact, been on the list, but was very near the bottom. At the top were names Mia was quite
familiar with: Theodros Nott and his son, Thoros, as well as Rabastan Lestrange and
Regulus Black. All Death Eaters. Theodros was one of Voldemort's original followers, if
Mia was not mistaken. Both he and his son were old enough to be Laurel's father. Mia
urged her friend to ignore all of them, including Regulus who, she informed Laurel, was
still a Hogwarts student and quite possibly did not even know a marriage to an older witch
was being arranged for him by his parents.
"You don't want Walburga Black as a mother-in-law, believe me."
"Aren't you dating the eldest Black son?"