My Mate

Narcissa’s scream ended abruptly as Severus hauled her to him and shoved her behind his back. She peered around him at the prostate body of her now deceased husband. Lucius had fallen on his back, eyes wide and blank.

Severus was practically growling, his wand at the ready and adrenaline running high. “Who the hell are you and what do want?”

The wizened old man cackled, then took a moment to hack his lungs out. “It doesn’t matter who I am. And this…” He gestured to Lucius. “This was a gift for Mrs. Malfoy.”

Severus craned his neck to look at the blonde behind him. “What do you mean a gift? And why would you kill Lucius when you were helping him with this business?” He asked suspiciously.

“Mrs. Malfoy knows why. Besides, it was better I do it than you. She might not have been able to make herself marry you if you had. She’s got principles, that witch. Au revoir.” His gnarled hands finished his speech with a wave and with a POP he disappeared.

“What in the name of Merlin was that about?” Severus demanded, looking extremely disgruntled and a little worse for the wear. His hair was mussed, bruises were forming on his face and his robes were torn and bloody.

Narcissa looked up at her mate dazed and still in shock. Of course, she was entitled to be in shock. In the space of hour or so, she’d flown her broom through a snowstorm, been caught by her vicious husband, beaten, thought for sure she was going to die, then saved by her love, then watched him beat up said husband, and then saw said evil bastard husband suddenly drop dead at her feet.

“I…I told him Lucius was planning on killing him after he finished helping him with the situation with Draco.” She stuttered. “I’m still not sure why he would want to murder Diffamer. I suppose so there would be no witnesses...”

“You actually went and warned that lunatic, you daft wench?” Severus interrupted in disbelief. “He’s probably just as evil as Lucius if not more so! He’s rumored to have been behind all sorts of atrocities!”

Narcissa took a step back at his harsh tone. “I was just so tired of people dying because of Lucius. I didn’t actually go to meet him. I just had a house elf send him a note.” She frowned. “And I’m getting really tired of you snapping insults at me all the time.”

Severus’ eyes narrowed dangerously, his voice dropping low. “And you think that I care? You’ve caused me nothing but grief and I’m not about to forget what you’ve done to myself and my…son.”

His hesitation caught Narcissa off guard and sparked tears in her eyes. His disdain stung, but she was more concerned about him. Anyone else might not have thought anything of it, but she knew him well and he was hurt. That was one thing she’d never wanted to do. Hurt him.

Unfortunately, she was pretty sure he wouldn’t give her an opportunity to try to make amends or express her regret. She sagged, exhaustion wearing her down, the temporary energy fix from the completion of the first mating step taking a dip now that the adrenalin rush had come and gone.

Severus muttered (scathing comments, she was sure) under his breath and slung an arm around her waist to keep her upright. “This had better not become a common occurance…”

Naricissa’s eyes shot open. “Draco!” She ripped out of the Potion’s Master’s grasp and took off nimbly through the snow.

“Draco!” Ginny cried as her mate sank to his knees in the snow. He was shaking, but whether from the cold, shock, or loss of blood, she wasn’t sure.

Cursing her inability to help him and Draco for not releasing her from the ropes earlier, she yanked and strained.

“Draco! Get up! You need to untie me now!”

He didn’t move.

“Draco! After you get me loose, I’ll take you home and we’ll get you patched up and you can rest, but first you have to untie me!” She practically screamed.

There was a slight movement of his head, cocked as if he were listening to her, but it took him another minute or two to struggle to his feet and stumble over to the slab

His face was deathly white and his fingers trembled as he searched the snow for his wand to complete the correct spell for Ginny’s release.

The instant the ropes loosened, she sprang up and guided him to lie down in her spot so she could take stock of his wounds. Numerous gashes, some very deep and long, several small cuts and some bruising. Nothing necessarily life threatening as long as he was treated soon.

Of course, there was the added concern that they were from a werewolf and she didn’t know if he had gotten in a bite, or if they were all just from his claws. Ginny was trying to ignore the beast still snarling and pacing his cage. She pushed that thought aside needing to concentrate on the immediate issues.

The main problem was that she didn’t know where Lucius had put her wand and healing spells were too delicate to attempt using someone else’s wand since they could cause quite a bit of damage if done incorrectly.

She ripped the hem of her shift and tied it tightly around the worst of his wounds to help stop the bleeding. Damn Lucius! To make it worse, she didn’t know where he’d gone and he could be back any second. They had to get out of here.

“Stay still, sweetheart.” Ginny ran one icy hand over his equally icy cheek. A drop of moisture dripped on his cheek and it took her a second to realize it was her own tears. She swiped them away quickly and tucked his cloak tighter around him.

Draco growled under his breath as she leaned over him and Ginny suddenly found herself hauled on top of him, his arms clamping her tight across his chest and his face nuzzling her neck with stern nips. It seemed that the veela needed to assure himself that she really was all right before they went any further.

She moaned in pleasure at the warmth and solidarity of his embrace and the wave of intense feelings she was getting from him, then realized where they were and shoved herself away.

“We don’t have time for that. I have to get you out of here.”

Draco growled at her retreat. “We’ll discuss this when we get out of here.” His voice was gravelly, and Ginny tamped down a shiver, intent on getting them back to the safety of Hogwarts.

“Can you ‘Accio’ your broom darling?”

He grimaced. “I think so.” It took him a couple tries, but he eventually managed it.

Ginny just hoped she could keep him on the blasted thing without him falling off. She didn’t dare let him try Apparating the both of them or they might end up splinched.

She slid an arm under him to get him upright and encountered a pool of warm liquid. Ginny quickly twisted to see his back and gasped. A large patch had been sliced to ribbons and was bleeding heavily.

“Oh Merlin.” She breathed. Yet another strip was ripped off her shift, larger this time due to the size of the wound. Now Ginny was bare from her toes to almost the tops of her thighs. Anymore and she would be indecent, but she couldn’t give a rat’s arse at this point.

“Take off my cloak and wrap it around yourself.” Draco groaned while she was tending to his back.

“No.” She said, hating the extra pain she was causing him with all the pressure. He was bearing it with little more than some grunts and an occasional hiss, but she knew he had to be in agony. “You’re the one losing all the blood. You need to stay as warm as you can.”

“Virginia!” Draco barked. “You’re practically naked, your teeth are chattering so badly that it sounds like a machine gun, you’re turning blue and you’re going to get frostbite and hypothermia and if you die, I die anyway, so take my damn cloak!”

His voice gentled. “Besides…you’re going to have to do all the flying and you’ll be completely numb flying through a snowstorm in that.”

Ginny growled angrily under her breath. He did have a point, but the nurse in her hated the thought of taking even an inch of the cloak away from him. A more practical part of her mind knew if they stood any chance of getting him back to Hogwarts, she needed to be functioning and right now she was turning blue like the wizard said.

Finishing her bandage, she gently unclasped the cloak and slid it off his shoulders and around her own. The warmth felt heavenly and eased the chattering of her teeth.

“Ok, time to leave.” She helped him to stand with an arm around his waist and one of his draped across her shoulders when a shout from the woods startled them.

Draco whirled albeit shakily and drew his wand with a snarl. Upon seeing his mother and ex-professor running towards them, he relaxed with relief.

“Get her out of here now.” He demanded of Snape.

Ginny bristled. “I’m not the one injured!”

“You’re all going straight back to Hogwarts to the Hospital Wing until further notice.” The potions master growled before producing two more brooms.

Narcissa’s hood slipped down and the other two gasped at the state of her face.

“Mother!”

“Mrs. Malfoy!” The babbling grew in volume until Snape’s voice cut through like a whip.

“Silence!” They all turned to look at him just as Bill, Simeon, and Olivia swept down on their brooms.

Pandemonium reined.