My Mate

My Mate
Chapter 13: Weasley Brawls and Night Visits



November 21
2:45pm


Ginny watched Draco’s mother sleeping peacefully on the hospital cot. The viciousness of Narcissa’s wounds had stunned her, as her mind wrestled with the fact that someone could do something like that to another human being. She had literally been on the verge of death and the Monster Lucius in her head grew another two sizes.

Ginny had always imagined Narcissa to be as hateful as Lucius and it had never occurred to her that he would beat his wife. The older woman was still pale, but her cuts were healing nicely. Sleep was the best thing for her, so Ginny pulled the curtains shut and checked the time. Her shift would be over any minute and then she’d have to head to her class. Exhaustion lingered on the edges of her mind as a side effect of the troubled and sleepless nights that had plagued her since Draco’s revelation.

Michelle still hadn’t replied to her owl yet, which seemed a little odd…but then again, they were supposed to visit her family for a couple weeks. In that case it could take longer to get a reply.

Poppy came in to relieve her and Ginny headed for her classroom, Hooch trailing behind her in silence after a brief conversation about the Quidditch line-up. She could hear the loud voices from twenty feet away with the door still shut. As the voices became recognizable, her heart sank with dread.

Damn. By the sounds of it, there must be a hundred Weasley’s in there. Part of her wanted to run to her chambers and hide, but that wouldn’t help anything. For one, they’d probably track her down, and for another, she’d have to face them sometime, so she might as well get it over with.

The instant she pushed open the door, a sea of red swarmed toward her, engulfing her in a mass of bodies. Everyone was shouting and shoving, trying to get to her. Putting her fingers in her mouth, Ginny let a shrill whistle rip through the room. As usual, it got everyone’s attention and her a bunch of glares, but she shot back with one of her own.

“Everybody, sit down and shut up!” Fred, George, Hermione, Angelina, and Alicia sat down leaving Ron and Bill standing, legs spread, arms akimbo.

“Ginny! Bill Weasley, you let me go right now!” Ginny turned to see Michelle tied to a chair in the corner with soft cloth wrapped around her arms and ankles. She looked very unhappy, her normally pale cheeks tinged pink with two very bright red spots right in the center. Michelle’s chest was heaving with indignation and her blue eyes were sparking with fury.

“Finite Incantatum.” Ginny uttered as she waved her wand at her sister-in-law before turning to her oldest brother.

“Why on earth did you tie her to a chair? She’s pregnant for crying out loud!” Ginny demanded, her arms planted firmly on her hips in a disturbing image of Mrs. Weasley, that made even Fred and George the tiniest bit uncomfortable.

Bill glared at his youngest sibling. “Which is exactly why I did it! I refuse to let my pregnant wife get jostled and knocked around by a horde of Weasleys.”

Michelle met Ginny’s eyes, exasperation flashing. It sort of made sense in a highhanded male way. When Bill moved toward her, his wife narrowed her eyes and made a slashing motion with her hand. Growling low in his throat, Bill turned to the rest of the Weasley’s.

“I’m warning you all right now, if anyone pushes her around, I’ll knock your teeth in.” The ex-Wraith was sufficiently intimidating and everyone took a step back from Michelle.

Ron was the first to get back to the business at hand. “How could you not tell us that Malfoy was attacking you? And what’s this veela business?”

When Ginny turned to her sister-in-law with a glare, Michelle held up her hands. “I didn’t tell him. He was at our house and read your letter.”

Ginny’s mouth dropped and she turned on Ron. “Ronald Weasley! How dare you read that letter? Did it have your name on it? Is your name “Michelle”? What were you thinking?”

A red flush spread over his face at her derisive tone and he hurried to defend himself. “You were supposed to come to dinner at the Burrow tonight! I thought you were just writing that something came up! How was I supposed to know that you were keeping secrets?”

“That still doesn’t justify reading my letter!”

“Well, so maybe it doesn’t, but what’s done is done! What the hell is going on with Malfoy?”

“That’s none of your business, Ron! I’m an adult and I can handle my own affairs and I definitely doneed eed you all descending on me as if I need rescuing!”

“Dammit Ginny, what’s going on?”

“But Gin…”

“Ginny don’t you think…”

“Ron, really, don’t you think this is going too far?”

“Fred Weasley!”

“George, give her some air for Merlin’s sake!”

“Ginny Weasley, you will tell me…”

“Bill Weasley, let me go!”

“Bill, untie her!”

The squabbling continued until a loud whistle rent through the air, sending hands flying to cover ears. Dumbledore stood in the doorway, flanked by Snape and McGonagall. His face was stern, but a slight twinkle belied his anger, though his firmness remained.

“This still happens to be a school with ever curious students, and Miss Weasley still happens to be a teacher who is now running late for class. I want to make it clear to you all that Virginia is in no danger from Mister Malfoy and the situation is under control. I’m sure that your sister appreciates your concern, but I cannot have a riot. Mrs. Delacour Weasley is welcome to stay since her expertise is needed, but I must ask that everyone else return home. Miss Weasley will be in contact if she needs your assistance.”

After a few minutes of protests, the redheads filed out grumbling, Ron’s face still beet red, with the exception of Bill. He remained planted in front of Dumbledore. “I refuse to leave my pregnant wife at Hogwarts while I go home. Unless you alle toe to remain with her here, then I will have no choice but to take her home with me.”

Albus assessed the younger man through his spectacles, but nodded. “Very well, Mr. Weasley. That is a valid reason. However,” he mentioned when Bill started to turn. “I must insist that your sister be allowed to conceal from you what she wants without arguments.” After a moment’s consideration, Bill nodded rather grudgingly.

While McGonagall escorted the couple to a suite, Albus gave Ginny a few minutes to compose herself before letting the students in. She took a seat behind her desk and waited for them to get seated.

Tasmin Zammit, one of her sixth years came up to the front, her long brown hair pulled back in a clip and her green brown eyes sparkling with excitement.

“I finished the research you gave me and I included some notes and questions I had. It’s amazing the great lengths they’ve come in just the last fifty years.” She set two large scrolls on the desk.

Tasmin was her best student and Ginny was sure that in a few years, she would be one of the best Healers in Britain, or making even more leaps in Healing research. Her potential was astounding and Ginny was taking the time to give her some extra attention.

She noticed a seventh year Gryffindor, Benjamin Matthews following her with his eyes. Ginny had her suspicions that he rather liked her. Tasmin didn’t seem to notice, but from the way he had been following the young girl around, she didn’t think it would stay that way for long.

November 21
11:23pm

Narcissa forced open her eyes to blessed darkness and a shadowy figure beside her bed. A strangled cry ripped from her lungs as she flailed to sit up, sure that Lucius had found her. A hand pushed her back down and Severus’ face came into view. All hard planes, and brutal edges. His eyes burned with an unholy like fervor that made her shiver.

She had done her absolute best not to be alone with this man and had succeeded rather well over the last twenty-five years. Now when she was at her weakest, he appeared as if a beast sensing death, waiting to deliver the final blow.

He said nothing, apparently content to simply watch her, those obsidian orbs, devouring. The oppressive silence was suffocating and Narcissa thought she would go mad if someone didn’t speak soon. Finally when she could stand it no longer, she lashut. ut.

“Do you have to just sit there? Leave me alone!” She rolled away from him, but he grasped her arm almost painfully, pulling her back to face him.

“Don’t you dare turn away from me!” He hissed through clenched teeth. Fury was etched across his features and she flinched. Severus abruptly released her and sat back in his chair. After several moments he spoke.

“Since it seems you will be staying in Hogwarts in the foreseeable future, we must endeavor to main ain a civil courtesy towards each other. In which case, I have a few rules.” At her astonished look, an ugly sneer twisted his face.

“First, you shall not speak to me. If you have a burning need to communicate with me, you may send a note with a house elf.” His emphasis on “burning” brought a heated flush to Narcissa’s pale cheeks.

“Second, you will stay as far away from me as possible.” Severus leaned closer and spoke in slow deliberate tones. “I…don’t…want…to…see…so…much…as…your…face.” The flush receded as quickly as it came, and her blood ran cold. Apparently satisfied, with his mandates, the professor stood and whirled fading into the blackness.

Narcissa managed to wait until she was sure he was gone before releasing broken sobs for the first time in years. Weeping for the person she had once been and the future they should have had. After her initial marriage to Lucius, she had slowly dried up. Sorrow only brought emptiness now. A cold lonely emptiness that left her less a person. The tears only lasted for ten minutes before even they evaporated, taking the last of her humanity with them.

Bitter words in the heat of passion, she could live with, but Severus’ cold emotionless detestation had indeed been her final death blow. Poppy and Ginny may have healed her body, but it wouldn’t be long now before her very life’s essence drained from her body.

Narcissa curled up in a ball letting the nightmares take control.


November 22
10:18am


Ginny collapsed on the sofa in the teacher’s lounge. Thank Merlin it was a Saturday! She was exhausted from all the turmoil. Michelle was next to her in a large cushiony chair with her feet propped up and Ginny was certain, she’d have to haul her out of it.

She hadn’t slept much last night and she’d had to resort to a glamour charm this morning to make her look presentable. For the life of her she couldn’t figure out what she was feeling. Anger was in there somewhere, but there were so many other variables, especially now that Narcissa Malfoy had shown up battered to the point of death.

Ginny wished she could escape somewhere peaceful where she could sort through everything without everyone else butting in. Honestly! The man had nerves of steel and more arrogance than anyone person was entitled to. Of course it was a little sexy in an aristocratic type way.

Oh! No! It is most definitely not sexy. Definitely not sexy….definitely not sexy…definitely sexy…definitely sexy. NOOO!!!

Ginny grabbed her head in her hands and moaned. Michelle looked up, concerned.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing…everything!”

Michelle smiled. “Everything will work itself out. You just need to keep an open mind and realize that Albus would never encourage you to do something that might hurt you. Give him a chance, but you don’t have to let him run over you either. It doesn’t all have to be on his terms.” A grin tipped her lips up. “Negotiate.”



November 22
1:22pm


Narcissa grudgingly swallowed the potion that Madam Pompfrey held out to her and grimaced.

“That’s absolutely disgusting!”

“Oh pish posh! It’s not that bad. You always were squeamish about medicine.” Poppy huffed with a wave of her hand.

Narcissa laid back against the pillows with a sigh. She’d had her suspicions that Poppy didn’t like her very much and Narcissa was fairly certain it was because she was so fond of Severus. She really didn’t blame the nurse. From an outsiders point of view it would seem that his descent into the Dark Arts coincided with her breaking off with him, but in reality, it was the other way around.

Her thoughts strayed to Draco. She fervently hoped he was being careful and that Lucius believed she was dead. Surely her supposed death would appear in The Prophet. Perhaps she could get one of the professors to lend her a copy. Maybe she could spend a bit of time with Virginia Weasley. Narcissa had great hopes that the Weasley fertility would hold true.

All of a sudden her mind jerked back to The Prophet. “Oh no.” Perhaps she wasn’t too late. Surely Emily hadn’t sent the letter yet. Her death couldn’t bblicblic yet. She wouldn’t allow it to be too…late. Simeon.

The blonde woman’s body slumped back as the sleeping draught took effect.




Author’s Note:

Simeon is pronounced: (Sim-short “i” as in “simple”), (E- long “e” as in “me”), and (On- like “in”) Sim-e-on It is important that everyone know how it is pronounced.

I would like to apologize for the long time it took me to update. I had my brother’s graduation, open house, visiting relatives, job interviews, ect….
Anyway, things are slowing down now.
I want to assure everyone that I will not stop writing this story. I’m as anxious to find out what happens as everybody else.
If you have ideas, questions, or comments please review or e-mail me. I appreciate all the reviews so far!
The next chapter will feature a drastic decision and the third day. More twists will be coming up in later chapters. I know I’m taking a while to get more D/G action, but it’s necessary. Chapter 15 will be littered with it.

Thanks a bunch to all my readers and reviewers! =)

Pegasus7