The Family Jewels

I am sorry it is taking me so long to get any chapters up. Listening to my children argue is driving me insane. Okay, deep breath. On with the show.

Chapter 31
Cut Once

Harry waited outside the Great Hall for half an hour, leaning against the wall and attempting to go over his speech one more time. Ginny wasn’t speaking to him, Ron wasn’t speaking to him, and although he hadn’t seen her, Hermione probably wasn’t speaking to him.

“Ginny, please, can I talk to you?” Harry asked in a soft voice, trying to make eye contact as soon as he saw her walking to breakfast with Ron.

Ron and Ginny exchanged a look that Harry was unable to interpret, then Ron nodded once. Harry walked a few feet away and waited for Ginny to join him, but he did not touch her. “Can we go outside for a few minutes?”

Ginny was so calm, she was placid. It was almost scaring him more than if she was in a raging temper. Almost.

“What can I do for you Harry?” Ginny asked, seating herself comfortably on a bench not far away. The morning was crisp, but not really cold, and her cheeks were as pale as new driven snow.

“Could you look at me?” Harry was not a stupid man. There would be pleading in this conversation, and he would be doing all of it. It seemed foolish not to jump in with both feet. Ginny raised her head, and he didn’t see anger or confusion or pain. ‘This is not my Ginny. What is going on?’ he wondered to himself. She didn’t say anything; clearly she was waiting for him. The silence stretched on and he fidgeted a little.

“I am sorry that you felt threatened when I hexed Draco. I would never, ever, hurt you. I love you Ginny. Please give me a chance and I will make it up to you, I swear.” Harry sat next to her, and he desperately wanted to touch her.

“And?” Ginny asked, with at least a glint of anger in her eyes now. ‘Come on baby’, Harry thought, ‘let’s get it out into the open.’

“You’re still my girl, aren’t you?” Harry hesitantly grasped her fingers and one of Ginny’s eyebrows shot up, “please, it is killing me not touching you, I miss you so much.”

“Just me?” Ginny asked angrily.

‘That’s it, just a little more,’ Harry thought, moving his body right up against her, and dipping his mouth close to her neck, but not actually touching her before looking into her eyes again.

“How could you ever doubt me, love?” Harry asked, actually kissing her cheek this time. Ginny stiffened and pulled away from him, standing up and whipping around.

“Do you think I’m daft? You told Ron that you wished that you and he had made a sandwich with Hermione when he was together with her.” Ginny’s eyes flashed dangerously, but her voice was still even. “Why are you with me Harry?”

Harry was glad that he had broken through to her anger; he had never lied to her, never even considered cheating on her, and he refused to feel guilty for thinking about what one his best friends and her two boyfriends did in the sack. What red blooded male hasn’t thought about that? “I’m with you because you are a beautiful, intelligent, exciting woman, I love being with you, and most important of all, I trust you. I belong to you, Ginny. You helped me come to grips with Sirius’ death, and I’m ready to face whatever the future holds because you will be there with me. We have all been forced to grow up so quickly, face so much danger. I would never break the promises I made to you.” Harry watched as her face changed.

“I don’t want Hermione, I have never wanted her, and I’m so deeply sorry that I made you doubt me or my love. I suppose I was just shocked that she was in a relationship with two men; it seemed like such a taboo thing, so exciting. But it isn’t the forbidden with them; they are struggling with their feelings. I have never been more sure that you are all I want, all I need.”

Ginny sat next to him on the bench again, and he put a gentle arm around her. “Hermione and I just talked the other night, and afterwards, things just got out of hand. I should never have drawn my wand on Malfoy. I have already apologized to him, will you accept my apology?” Ginny nodded weakly, leaning back against his arm.

“Love me?” he asked.

“Love you,” she answered, happy to lift her face for his kiss.

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Blaise Zabini sat in Ancient Runes, and took notes as he always did, but he was deep into his own thoughts. It was an interesting skill he had, being able to write down the professor’s words, but needing to read them later for the first time. Hermione always knew when he was doing this, but she was the only one. He looked at her, and she gave him a rueful glance, knowing he was far away. Class ended and he stood up, leaning against the desk to let the other two know he needed a word before they rushed off. “Draco, Hermione, can we talk?” Blaise asked.

Draco actually looked like he was chomping at the bit to talk, and Hermione wasn’t too far behind him. “Where?” Draco asked, knowing that Blaise was now ready.

“Your common room?” he asked them. “Now would be good, but before Quidditch practice definitely.”

Draco nodded, sweeping out of the classroom. Hermione waited for the room to empty of other people, before she turned to Blaise and reached out for his hands. “Are you all right, love?” she asked him.

“I will be, but right now we are going to need to worry about Draco. I finished translating the diary.” Blaise paused, wondering how to break this to her. “What is the one thing that Draco would never do, Hermione? The one thing that has been drilled into his brain that Malfoys do not do?”

This was an easy one for her. “Malfoys do not lie,” Hermione said as if she had heard it many times. Which she had, of course.

“I’m afraid that we might have to change that to Draco does not lie,” Blaise said grimly. “Let’s not keep him waiting.”

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Draco was pacing around the Head common room like a caged tiger when Blaise and Hermione walked in. Hermione’s heart went out to him when she saw the vulnerability on his face. He was taking a risk with his life to be with her, and she was deathly afraid of what Blaise was going to tell them.

The look on Blaise and Hermione’s faces did not make Draco calm. “Blaise, you called this meeting. I already apologized for the incident with Potter. Do you want blood?”

“No, mate, but you might. We have bigger problems than dueling with Potter.” Blaise sat down and pulled the diary out. “I have finished translating this, and now I understand why your father told you so little of your family history,” Blaise said.

“Oh?” Draco queried. One syllable, but he managed to convey his fear and anger quite eloquently.

“How far back do you trace your bloodline, Draco?” Blaise asked.

“Back to the founders,” Draco answered promptly.

“No, actually, it goes back farther than that. This diary takes your family back to the court of Charlemagne, the Holy Roman Emperor. He also had your white blond hair and from what I can tell, you are of his blood. Do you know what a code de famille is?” Blaise asked.

“It is a promise made that all members of your house must adhere to,” Draco said automatically.

“That is right, Draco, do you know that one was sworn before Charlemagne in regards to your family?” Blaise asked.

“Look, Blaise, tell me what this is all about. I know you know, just tell me.”

Blaise sighed and held the diary out to Draco, who read the passage that Blaise pointed out. “No sworn oath of allegiance to any other not of my blood will ever pass my lips. So I swear before my lord, Carolus Magnus.” Draco had to sit down.

“Father couldn’t accept the jewels, because he had already taken the Dark Mark and pledged himself to the Dark Lord,” he said wonderingly.

“There’s actually more, Draco, your father has no right to the title of Lord Malfoy or any of the property or wealth beyond the original entailment on your family.” Blaise was looking at him with dark blue eyes.

It didn’t take Draco long. “But that’s nothing. How could he be so stupid?”

“It seems that he never intended anyone to find out that he had broken the code. He has certainly not acted as if he had anything to fear.” Blaise waited for Draco’s thoughts to catch up with his mouth.

“What do we do now?” Draco was asking both of them.

“Professor Snape knows, and he was already afraid for your life. Apparently, there has been talk among the Death Eaters that you father is planning something so that this does not become known.”

“You don’t think Father would try to…” Draco couldn’t say it.

“Kill you? No, I don’t think that is his plan, yet. If you take the Dark Mark, you will also have invalidated the code, and would have no greater claim than he does.” Blaise stood up. “We’ll just have to keep you safe until we can contact that solicitor that was friends with your grandfather. We will need his help.”

Hermione frowned, “Why wouldn’t he have told Draco from the beginning that his father had invalidated the code de famille, and that he was now Lord Malfoy?”

“The code was never a problem before my father, a thousand years has a tendency to make people complacent.” Draco actually smiled. “I need to talk to Uncle Sev. He will know what I should do.”

Draco stood up and walked to the door. “Thank you Blaise, I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“Let’s not find out, all right?” Hermione asked them both with a significant look.

Even in times of stress, Draco and Blaise were amused when she tried to mother them. They looked at each other, smirked, and turned back to her. “Yes, dear,” they said together.

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A/N - Thank you to all who have read and reviewed. Please let me know how you think this is going. There will be excitement coming up, I promise.