My Mate

Draco apparated with a loud POP into the street at Hogsmeade into the small gathering consisting of Severus, Bill, and Simeon. Olivia was also there shivering next to Bill.

“What’s wrong? Where’s Ginny?” Draco snapped to Snape.

“I don’t know!” He snarled. “I waited and waited for her, but she never showed up, then I walked back here and there was no sign of her, so I activated your alert and got the others. Did you actually see her apparate or could she still be back at the ball?” His furrowed brow and the whiteness of his clenched fists, revealed the depth of his concern.

Draco paled, blood draining from his face at the implications. Then fury washed over him. “I watched her leave, that bloody stupid witch! I’m going to kill her when I get my hands on her!”

“If she didn’t apparate somewhere else-which I don’t think she would do-then she had to have disappeared somewhere around here.” Olivia spoke up. Eyes swiveled in her direction.

“We’ve already asked around and no one has seen her.” Bill said, tense and poised as if ready for battle.

Draco closed his eyes and tried to focus on Ginny, pinpoint where she was like last time. Panic made his throat tight. After the episode right before she left, there was no way she would have apparated anywhere else. She knew that he was serious. Merlin! He prayed his father hadn’t found out about her. He prayed that it wasn’t his father who had her.

Fury and rage like nothing he had ever felt before exploded through his body and he growled fiercely. If anything happened to her, he would rip his father apart limb from limb.

He closed his eyes again and willed himself to focus. Suddenly a rush of fear hit him that was so potent it knocked him to his knees. Draco gasped, and pressed his hands over his eyes to concentrate on where it was coming from. Strong hands gripped his shoulders to support his shaking body.

Olivia pressed a fist to her mouth in horror. Whatever Draco was seeing, it wasn’t good. Ginny had to be all right. She had to. Severus was crouched next to him, his face closed and intent. Bill was pasty white, his face twisted with apprehension and his fist clenched tightly around his wand as if he were ready to blast someone apart.

Emotions and colors flashed through his mind in a whirl, making his head spin. Time seemed to slow to a stop, seconds ticking slowly by. Finally, Draco surged to his feet and looked wildly around at the rest of them.

“I’m going to have to track her on foot or by broom. She’s too far away and all I seem to be able to get is a general direction. I can’t pinpoint anything yet.”

“I’m coming with you.” Bill said with biting finality.

“Accio broom!” Draco shouted, ignoring Bill and grabbing the handle as his brand new Nibus hurtled towards him.

The other men started doing the same and Severus waved for everyone to wait a moment.

“Before rushing in, it would be best to have a plan for when Draco finds Miss Weasley.”

As Olivia edged closer hoping that her slow old broom would keep up with everyone, a heavy cloak was suddenly dropped around her shoulders and wrenched together under her chin with powerful hands.

Olivia sucked in a shaken breath as Simeon yanked her closer to his body and she tried to fight the urge to huddle up against his warmth.

“You stupid little fool! You’ll catch your death running around out here in your nightgown!” His breath was hot against her freezing skin.

Olivia looked down in dismay, having forgotten that she’d simply thrown on her night robe and woolen slippers over her pajamas. In all the commotion, no one else had noticed yet.

“Idiot girl!” Simeon hissed angrily and in the darkness he seemed very much like Severus. “Get back to the castle and stay there!”

Olivia abruptly pulled away from him. “No! I won’t sit in the castle and twiddle my thumbs while my best friend has probably been kidnapped. Who knows what he’s doing to her now!” Her chest heaved and her curls twisted around her face.

“It may not be Lucius. She may have just wandered off or seen someone she knew.” The words even sounded weak to his ears and Olivia scowled at him.

“Not bloody likely! She’d know everyone would be frantic.” She closed her eyes to keep from fighting back the tears that hovered. “Something horrible has happened to her and I have to help find her.”

“Like hell you will.” Simeon grunted, a split second before he tossed her over his shoulder like a sack of grain.

Olivia screeched like a cat with its tail caught in a door and started kicking wildly. Simeon clamped a large hand over her bum to keep her in place, and took immense pleasure in her squeal of outrage. She had one of the most curvy luscious bums he’d ever felt and he squeezed a bit, testing its plumpness.

“Put me down you…you…wanker! I’m going with you to find her!”

“I don’t think so! I’m not going to have a little Hufflepuff slowing us down. We’ll be able to move faster without you. Besides,” He said with a snort of disgust. “You’d lose us after five minutes. I doubt you excel in flying.” Simeon started striding briskly back towards the castle.

“Oh!” Olivia gasped at his insult. “I would not! I did perfectly well in flying!” She drummed on his back. “And get your hand off my bum!” She shrieked.

“Settle down. You’re going back to the castle and keep Weasley’s wife and…Mrs. Malfoy…” her name dripped with derision, “…out of the way also. They’ll need you more than we will.”

Olivia’s mind raced. If she kept fighting back and insisting that she was going, he would be sure to make certain she couldn’t leave the castle. Hex her or tie her up or something. So she sighed heavily.

“Would you just put me down then? I can walk, you know, there’s nothing wrong with my legs. I was proficient by age two.”

Simeon was a little taken aback by her sarcasm. He wouldn’t have thought a Hufflepuff like her able to use it well. Weren’t they usually all around nice, sweet, unassuming people? Not that he would know from firsthand experience, since he’d never been able to attend Hogwarts, knowing only what he’d heard from Draco, Marcus, and Blaise.

Decisions, decisions. Put her down or carry her squirming little luscious body all the way back to Hogwarts? The others were deep into their plan though and Simeon didn’t want to be left behind himself because of the irritating little baggage.

He finally set her down with a Thwump so suddenly that she almost landed on her backside in the snow. She glared at him.

“What? You wanted to be put down.” Simeon smirked at her a moment before turning serious. “Do not even think about leaving Hogwarts. All three of you had better be here when we return.” His voice was low and cold.

Olivia simply stared at him for a moment, trying to quell the resentment he instigated. The bloody annoying git. “I assure you, you don’t need to worry about us.”

His eyes narrowed and Olivia wondered if he were trying to discern any hidden meanings. A moment later he turned in a swirl of black just like his father. Olivia didn’t stand around staring at his retreating back, but turned and ran back for the castle after murmuring a spell under her breath, waving her wand at Simeon.

She wasn’t about to lose them.

The cold dark night was alive with the moans of the wind as it whipped fiercely around the flying figures. They were having trouble keeping their brooms on course. As they flew, Draco would periodically close his eyes and try to open up the link to make sure they were on the right track. He thought he’d had a fairly good idea of where she might be if his father had taken her, but once he apparated to the manor, he’d known instantly that Ginny wasn’t there.

With no other choices left, the four of them had mounted their brooms and headed in the direction, Draco sensed that she was.

A couple times, he’d almost crashed, but he hadn’t wanted to take the time to land. She’d already been missing for almost two hours and there was a lot Lucius could do to her in that time frame. The iciness in his veins wasn’t solely due to the freezing temperatures outside, but dread at the thought of his mate being hurt or tortured or even killed.

Olivia, shuddered, trying to keep control of her broom. She wasn’t a very proficient flyer, but she could usually hold her own. This time, however, the elements were against her and she tried to focus on the tracking charm she had placed on Simeon.

The arrogant prat.

Thinking he could keep her from trying to help save her best friend.

She was amazed at the difference in Narcissa from yesterday to this evening when she had run to tell her about Ginny’s disappearance and where she was going.

Instead of lying in a bed, pale and weak, she had been reading through some notes Michelle had taken for her. Her cheeks had been flushed and she stood without hesitation, or any of the tremblings that she’d had before. The blue eyes were alert and had sharply taken in Olivia’s distress.

Narciss had listened and then pronounced she was coming along too. Olivia hadn’t expected that and attempted to talk her out of it to no avail. Draco’s mother couldn’t be budged and in the end, they had both set out on their brooms, following Simeon as best they could considering the weather.

Now here they were, getting closer if the charmed figures were correct. Olivia had excelled in Charms as well as Herbology and it hadn’t been too difficult for her to place the charm on the arrogant wizard. When they seemed to be almost upon them, Olivia motioned for Narcissa to start descending.

They hit the soft ground of the woods with almost inaudible thumps. Olivia quickly cast a Disillusioning spell to help keep observer’s eyes from spotting them.

“Do you know where we are?” Olivia asked Narcissa.

“Not specifically. Somewhere east of Malfoy Manor I think.” She was frowning worriedly. “Pray that Lucius doesn’t have her.”

“Why would he take her? Just because she was Draco’s mate? That would be detrimental to Draco wouldn’t it?” Olivia asked in a whisper.

Narcissa laughed bitterly. “Lucius doesn’t care about Draco’s well being. Especially his emotional well being. He’d just as soon Draco didn’t have any emotions at all. All he cares about is money and power and in a twisted way, his progeny through his son.”

Olivia closed to eyes and breathed deeply to offset the panic that threatened to overwhelm her.

“Do you think he took her to Malfoy Manor?”

“Possibly.” Narcissa sighed. “But he could just have easily taken her any number of other places. He owns properties all over the world and he might have realized Malfoy Manor was the first place anyone would check.”

The two women slowed as they heard muted voices drifted towards them through the darkness of the forest. Olivia was relieved to know the men were close. Although she wouldn’t have admitted it, the woods at night were a bit creepy and frightening.

Narcissa put a finger to her lips to make sure Olivia stayed quiet and started creeping forward, hugging the trees. Twenty yards and they were at the edge of a small clearing and they could barely make out a couple shapes.

“I still say we should have gone with him. Tha’ts my sister damn it!” They could hear Bill pacing, the leaves crunching beneath his feet.

“Draco knows what he’s doing and it would be better to let him scout out the situation first before simply storming in and risking your sister’s safety.”

Bill wasn’t usually so impatient. He had been a superb Wraith and possessed the ability to remain calm and clear headed during a crisis. Except when it came to his family and then he turned into a raging bull, ready to charge in and rescue. Olivia thought.

“Draco must have found her.” Olivia whispered. “Do you think it’s Lucius that has her?”

“Yes.” Narciss squeezed the younger woman’s arm tightly. “Lucius didn’t want Draco to be mated to some random woman. He was making an alliance with Prentice Parkinson by marrying Draco off to Delia. If he found out that Virginia was Draco’s mate, he would have hated it even more. I know he was trying to find a way to stop it from taking place, but I don’t know if he ever did or not.”

Olivia couldn’t answer. Her throat had closed up with renewed fear for Ginny. The men’s voices faded as they walked a bit farther away and the two women crept closer to eavesdropping distance.

The stillness was shattered with the shrill scream that ripped from Olivia’s lips as she was slammed to the ground, pinned by a heavy weight.