Tangled Net of Memories (Willow)

Jericho sat, reading the Daily Prophet and nursing a Scotch on the rocks. Sure it was a Muggle drink, but he fancied it. His patience with being not at worked was starting to wane. It wasn't just not being on the Malfoy Case, it was just being at work. He truly missed it, but he had yet to get word from the Minister herself saying he could return to work....

Willow walked into the inn, lowering her hood she smirked a bit as she saw the auror at the bar, sliding into a seat she looked at him "Mr. Young"

Jericho glanced up at the familiar voice and nodded respectfully. "Ma'am," he answered throwing back the rest of his drink and nodding for another. When the tumble was refilled, he returned his focus to his paper.

"Enjoying vacation?" she asked leaning her chin in her hand.

Jericho shrugged. "As well as can be excepted, Ma'am," he said shortly. "How is the department fairing without me?" he asked in return.

"Oh much better" she said as her wine arrived she sipped at it she ordered him another drink and with a slip of hand dropped some potion into the drink when he was focused on the paper, sliding it across the table she said "moody seems cross with me"

Jericho looked up at her, his blue eyes hard. Picking up the drink he ordered, he drank the entire double shot in one gulp. Putting the tumbler down, he wet his lips and said, "You don't say. Why should he be cross with you, Ma'am?" The sarcasm was thick on his words. He was sure that the department was suffering, at least a bit, without him. Especially when Moody was out on assignment, but she wasn't about to admit that, and Jericho knew it. Tapping the top of the glass of the drink she bought him, he managed a small smile. "I am sorry for my actions," he said.

"All is forgiven, perhaps you can return to work in another day or so" she said casually touching his hand.

Jericho looked away, setting his jaw, and nodding slightly. "Yes, Ma'am," he said. Jericho picked up the drink the Minister had bought him. "Well, here's to the light at the end of the tunnel," he said throwing the drink back. With a satisfied ah, he set the glass down. "Thank you for that," he said, meaning the drink. "Now, what brings you her, Ma'am?" he asked. If he was going to sit with her at the bar, and he was going to be heading back to work, might as well get things patched up with the Minister.

"I was looking for you actually" she said casually as he drank, she waited to see him react to the potent concotion she had slipped him.

As Jericho heard the Minister say why she was there, he felt a fog seem to cover his mind. Surely he hadn't drunk that much in such a short time. "Loookin fo me, 'am?" he asked in a slur of words. Hearing himself, he hoped that this wasn't going to change the Minister's mind on letting him come back to work soon.

"I wanted to make sure we resolved our issues" she said with a kind smile, she opened her mouth to say more when a crash from the back made her raise her head, the manager came out holding his head "m'am i'm sorry to bother you but the man in the back wont stop breaking our store owned things" he said

Will nodded and got to her feet "Come with me Young" she said as she led the way to the back of the inn.

Hearing the crash from behind them, Jericho looked in the direction of the noise. At her instruction to go with her, he nodded. Getting up to follow, the room titled slightly. Jericho put a hand on the chair he had been sitting in to steady himself. When he had his bearings, he walked after the Minister. The line he walked was more of a crooked one than the straight one he would normally walk. You had too much to drink, boy-o.... Great job.... he scolded himself. When he caught up with the Minister, he stood at her side awaiting instruction.

She led the way to the very back of the Inn, towards a back room...as he stood next to her, she grabbed both his arms in her hands and threw him into the room shutting the door. Locking them in she chuckled darkly.

Jericho looked around and didn't see a man that the owner had spoken of. He didn't see any source of the crashing sound they had heard. Suddenly the Minister grabbed his arms and threw him into the room before them and shut them both inside. Normally he would have simply stumbled and righted himself. But, as he was in the state he was, Jericho tripped over his own feet and fell to the ground. Hearing her laugh, Jericho went to pull his wand, but the fog over him mind, made his movements slow and inaccurate. He got his hand on his blue ask wand, but dropped it as soon as it was out of the thigh pocket of his jeans. "Wha th' fuk, Minster....." he slurred as he looked up at her from the floor.

Willow stood over him and with a wave of her wand he was restrained, another wave of her wand and the effects of the potion were cleared "Alright Mr. Young you are going to answer a few things for me"

Jericho saw the Minister wave her wand and felt himself being restrained. The Minister gave a wave of her hand and the fog that Jericho thought was the drink vanished. "You drugged me?!?!" he snapped at her in disbelief. ...you are going to answer a few things for me... Jericho heard her say. He set his jaw, not going to speak at all.

"Of course I did jericho" she said smoothly "i'm not a man i couldn't drag you here by force"

she held her wnad between her fingers as she spoke "How much does Alastor know"

Jericho looked at her with ice blue eyes. He was discussed with the Minister. For all he knew, she was the one who hired the bastard to kill him. He didn't know anymore. "I don't know what he knows, and if I did, I sure as fuck wouldn't tell you," he growled. "You're a disgrace the the position you hold...." he spat.