You Raise Me Up

OMG!! I had writer's block so bad it wasn't even funny! I haven't abandoned my story or anything, I just couldn't think of a damn thing to write! But then it hit me! I think I dreamed it...I don't know anymore

I hope you guys like this chapter! I think it's interesting!
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Draco woke up several hours later, his stomach growling at him to fill it.

“Damn….Anyone catch the make of the broom that hit me?” he asked, sitting up gingerly. His bottom was still throbbing from the game Hermione had decided to play. He looked around for his pregnant wife, but could see any sign that she had been there in a little while. So with a stiff stretch, he rolled off of the bed to head towards the shower.

Once he had cleaned himself, and checked the sorry state of his backside in the mirror, he set off in search of his demented witch-wife. He was slightly disheartened to learn from his mother that she and Bella had gone out with Orion for some good quality baby-stuff shopping. He shuddered at the thought, having remembered the one time that he had let her near the baby aisle as she searched for her maternity clothes…the result had taken him hours to sort out, and had cost him quite a pretty sickle. He decided he would have a word with her when she returned.

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“Lookit!” Hermione squealed, holding up a rather large stuffed unicorn. Its body was cloudy soft, and its horn was a plush material as to not hurt small children. Bellatrix smiled, and adjusted Orion in her arms.

“Cute…” she said, laughing as Hermione rubbed the toy’s nose against hers.

Bella picked up a tiny shirt with a bark of laughter. “Look at this…” she said, and tossed the shirt to Hermione. Hermione held up the little shirt. It was a black shirt with shiny silver lettering that said ‘My Mom Can Beat Yours Up…’ And she laughed.

“You should totally get that for Orion.” She laughed. Bella grinned.

“You think so?” she asked, catching the shirt deftly as Hermione tossed it back. Orion squirmed in her arms. “You like the shirt?” she asked, and a twitchy grin from the infant told her what she needed to know, and she quickly assembled an outfit for the youngster. Hermione was drawn to plush blankets, and Bella took Orion to some moving displays. His brilliant yellow eyes followed an animated phoenix flying in a circle overhead. “Look at the pretty birdie, ‘Ri…” she said, pointing at the scarlet bird.

She picked up a plush phoenix and tapped the bird’s soft beak against Orion’s nose. He jumped slightly, but gave another one of his twitchy grins, so Bella decided to buy the little toy for him.

Bella was finished with her purchases, but Hermione was still enthralled, so the two witches separated with the promise to meet up at the Leaky Cauldron. So she wrapped her squirming son in his blanket, and decided to visit some other shops to pass the time. She bought herself a few new pairs of shoes, and even got Severus a rare potions book for his upcoming birthday. But lunch was coming up sooner than she thought, so she left the bookstore with her son snuggled into her arms, eager for a good meal.

As she turned the corner, a small group of people caught her attention. There was a group of young men in a circle, and they appeared to be bullying an older man, if the silver hair catching the light was any indication of age. The man fell, and they tightened the circle, and a few of the hoodlums began to kick him roughly. The stranger tried to curl in on himself, but a kick to the back made him arch, and his stomach was open again to the vicious kicks. A few people walked by and looked, but no one seemed too interested in stopping the fight. Bellatrix growled low in her throat. The faces of her comrades flashed in her mind, doing the exact same thing.

“Why don’t you step away from him?” she called, drawing her wand. The group stopped its assault of the ragged man, and looked at her. One of them gasped softly.

“Oi, mates…D’you know who that is?” he asked, taking a step backwards.

“All’s I see is a nosy bitch, who needs to be taught her place…” one snapped. Bellatrix grinned.

“If you think you can take me, fellows, then by all means…I’m just one lowly woman….and I’m holding an infant to boot!” she said, batting her thick lashes.

“No, mate…that’s not just any woman…that’s Bellatrix Lestrange! She’s a Death Eater…” the young man cowered. The others glanced at her nervously, and then decided that even if she was holding an infant, she could probably kick all their asses, so they beat a hasty retreat. The one who had been brave enough to speak harshly to her kicked the stranger once more before he left, and the man wheezed in pain.

Once the bullies were gone, Bellatrix sheathed her wand and approached the injured man. He had gone up on his hands and knees, and was at present spitting up blood.

“You’re hurt, stranger…” she said. He shied away from her, hiding his face from her sight. “Let me help you up.” She said, and took a step closer.

“You don’t want to help me…” he said softly, and heaved slightly, more blood spattering on the pavement. Bellatrix grimaced. Those boys had done a number on the poor man.

“I decide who I want to help, stranger, so unless you can stand on your own two feet, you’ll take my hand.” She said. He shied away again.

“What makes you think I’m desperate enough to take help from Bellatrix Lestrange?” he asked.

“Well…I should think you’d be a little bit more thankful…seeing as I scared away those nasty hoodlums for you…and don’t tell me that you could have handled it yourself…you were getting your arse handed to you on a silver platter.” She said, gently jiggling Orion as he began to fuss.

“Heh…silver would fry my arse…” he said, and looked up at her through his silver matted fringe. She could barely make out shiny gold eyes beneath the hair.

“Silver would….oh. You’re a werewolf then?” she asked. He nodded, and lowered his head to spit up more blood. She couldn’t help the momentary repulsion that washed over her for the creature at her feet. It was ingrained so deeply…even further than the hate of Muggles and those with impure blood. She shook her head to rid herself of the thoughts. She had been wrong about so many things in her life…Hermione was the biggest thing…maybe….just maybe she was wrong about this too. “Well, are you going to take my hand or not?” she asked, re-offering her hand to him. This time the stranger was so taken aback that he looked up at her completely. His skin was pale and sallow, and his face was thin and worn, with scars traveling diagonally from the top of his face to the bottom. Blood dripped down his chin, and onto the pavement below.

“You would still offer your hand to me? Even after knowing that I’m a werewolf?” he asked in disbelief. She gave the stranger a smile.

“I’ve been wrong about quite a few things in my life, stranger…maybe I’m wrong about you too.” She said, and wiggled her fingers to attract his attention to her hand. He looked at her hand, and then at her face, looking as if he couldn’t decide whether or not this was a trap. He reached out tentatively and took her hand, and she pulled him to his feet. “There now…that wasn’t so bad, was it? My Death Eater germs wear off on you?” she asked. The corners of his mouth tipped upwards slightly.

“I don’t think so…at least I don’t feel like taking over magical England, torturing the Muggles, and killing off those who aren’t pure of blood…” he said. She raised a dark eyebrow.

“Touché, stranger.” She said, and chuckled. She reached into her pocket, pausing only slightly when the stranger froze. She pulled out a linen handkerchief, and offered it to him. “For your face. Keep it.” She said, and he took the offered cloth. He mopped the blood away from his mouth, and then tucked the handkerchief away in his tattered rob pocket. “Do you have a name, stranger?” she asked.

“You already know me, Lestrange, you just don’t recall…” he said softly.

“First of all, I’m going by Black now. I divorced that arse-hole months ago.” She replied. “And second, I know a lot of people, but not any werewolves. You’ll have to refresh my memory.”

“I was best friends with your cousin Sirius.” He said. She looked hard at his face, and then her dark eyes widened.

“Remus Lupin?” she asked incredulously. “You know…Harry was just talking about you the other day!” she said, and laughed. Remus stiffened.

“Harry was talking about me? To you? And since when do you know him by his first name?” he asked, his voice becoming harsh. She laughed.

“Do you not read The Prophet?” at the shake of his head, she continued. “Hermione decided she was going to save Lucius from the Dementor’s Kiss. She decided to talk Percy into ‘rehabilitating’ him. He’s been learning about Muggles for the past year. Well…I turned on my comrades after they…well…beat the shit out of me and left me to die…” she started. “I realized as I was taking the hits that everything I had stood for was crumbling beneath me. So I Apparated to Malfoy Manor. Hermione answered the door, and took me inside, and healed me as best she could. Well, she saved me from several life sentences at Azkaban with the same punishment as Lucius. She also got saddled with Severus Snape. Hermione and Draco fell madly in love with each other, got married, and now she’s expecting. And since he’s best friends with Hermione, Harry comes over often. He speaks of you, and of Sirius. I know that was a lot to take in…but…” she said, and then looked at Remus. It was a lot to take in, but he appeared to be taking it quite well.

“That’s quite a story…” he said, but the moment was ruined when his stomach rumbled quite loudly. Bellatrix noticed the pink twinge of embarrassment on his face.

“I’m meeting Hermione for lunch…would you like to come?” she asked.

“Restaurants won’t serve my kind.” He said. She scoffed.

“Do you know who my brother-in-law is?” she asked.

“Lucius Malfoy…why?”

“Because, if they try to kick you out, then I’ll get all pissed and throw a tantrum, and tell Lucius. Even after The Fall, he still has a lot of influence…” she said.

“Why are you doing this?” he asked, looking her dead in the face.

“To tell you the truth, Lupin….I don’t know. I’ve done a lot of things in the past year that I would have killed people for even suggesting that I would do them. My entire life and all of my ideals have been turned upside down, and it’s been very confusing. But I’ve been trying to make a better life for myself, and now my son, and it starts with being a better person.” She said. He looked at Orion for the first time, and smiled when a chubby fist waved at him.

“Cute….well…I guess I could…go to lunch. I haven’t had a decent meal in a while…” he said softly, and his stomach growled again.

“Great! About lunch, that is….Hermione will be thrilled to see you!”
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Don't forget to tell me what you think! Don't forget about the plot bunnies, people! They need love and attention too! And if the don't get some soon they are going to die!

How would feel killing off bunnies just days before Easter? You guys are twisted! But it's never too late to ask the bunnies for forgiveness....tell them how you feel...

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