Of Blood and Bone

Chapter 7

I'll see what tomorrow brings (If I had a heart by Fever Ray)

They finally arrived at Valhalla early that evening. Severus had insisted upon them Flooing to his home and portkeying from there. It wasn't that they were concerned about the Ministry meddling because they had already tested it and found that the way on and off the grounds of both the Manor and Hall had been in no way hindered. It was just that Severus knew that no one would think to keep watch on his home. They wanted no one to know anything about their plans. Portkeys, unlike some Floo connections, were untraceable and there were at least a dozen locations that they could have conceivably chosen.

Plainly put, they wanted to be left the fuck alone.

As they had portkeyed out in small groups, Blaise had explained that the Finnish Ministry was far more open-minded than the British one and had offered them a safe haven from the meddling British Ministry. That and their governing body- much like Britain's Wizengamot – was almost half made up of his relatives. Ginny had laughed outright at that bit of news.

Marguerite, Pansy, Tracey, Daphne, and the still sleeping Bill had been sent out first in hopes of getting them off to bed before the rest had arrived. It had taken well over two hours to accomplish it, though none of them had truly minded. The general sense of excitement at not only finally seeing Valhalla, but getting the hell away from the idiots that just would not let them have peace tended to soothe over any irritation at the large amount of travel and waiting.

Draco, Blaise, Ginny, and Severus had been the final ones out- taking the extra time to pack some 'essential' books, potions, and potions ingredients that Severus refused to leave behind. They had filled five trunks just of the books alone. Most had been ones that Ginny had never even fathomed existed, but that Draco and Blaise were truly excited to read.

Her first impression upon landing in the large courtyard was that she could most definitely see why it was Blaise's favourite home. Slowly turning in a circle just to try and take it all in, she couldn't help but grin. Three sides of the courtyard were taken up by three floor tall buildings and there was a large rounded pass-through at the far end that led to the grounds where Blaise had told her that there was a forest and a river. The far side building was what she had assumed was the original castle, the middle part of the building being at least seven or eight floors tall. She wanted to explore!

Marguerite wove through the crowd and was grinning widely when she joined them. "So, Ginny, what do you think of Valhalla?"

"It is amazing! It will also take me days to explore it all."

Marguerite hugged her, kissing both of her cheeks. "There will be time enough for that later. We are settling the younger ones in here," she pointed to left side of the courtyard. "The fifth and sixth years will be there," she added, pointing to the far building, the one that would be the only way in and out. "They insisted on it actually, saying that should the unthinkable happen that they would give the intruders a good fight until you lot could get there. I do believe they have already begun situating themselves in the round tower."

Ginny just shook her head, knowing that it was likely Aradia who had been so insistent. She and the other girl had become good friends over the last few months and she knew that Aradia felt that it was a pleasure as well as a duty to protect everyone. Really, they were going to have to find an exceptional Yule gift for her. "I assume Padma, Mandy, Astrid, and the rest of us will be in the larger complex?"

"We thought it best, especially with Mandy still healing. Daphne and Pansy took Bill on up to one of the suites and all are back asleep, though I am expecting Bill to surface soon. Why don't you three go on up and relax? The elves assure me that dinner will be ready on time."

Blaise slipped his arm around her waist and led her to the small archway, which led them under the front wall. When they stepped out she realized that calling it a 'complex' was more accurate than she had known. The smaller courtyard separated the larger complex, the main building looked to be the outer wall with a smaller middle building that from the looks of it did not reach down to the far wall. Hundreds of lanterns were hung all around and up to at least the third floor making the area almost as bright as it would be in daylight. She turned to see Draco and Blaise just grinning at her.

"I am going to need a map," she teased.

Blaise snickered, pointing up to the right. "That side has the kitchen, Great Hall, and the top floor has long been a training area. On the left are the suites and these here in the middle are where I presume our Ravenclaw guests will stay as well as the room where we keep all the healing potions and the like. Back there is the library- which I am sure Padma and Mandy will take one look at and decide to never leave- as well as other assorted things like sitting rooms, lounges, and the ballroom."

"Do we ever have to leave?" was all she could say.

Draco scooped her up and tossed her over his shoulder. "See! Blaise pay up!"

She just laughed. "How much did he take you for?"

Blaise tried to look upset, but failed. "Twenty Galleons. I figured it would take seeing our room for you to ask."

They were interrupted by Fred and George who called to them from the far end of the smaller courtyard. They walked down, under a small covered walkway which, from what she could see, connected the right and middle sections. It was covered and glassed in, which she conceded would likely be a godsend when the snow began to fall as the interior areas had been cleared before their arrival but wouldn't stay that way long. The twins had found a second floor covered balcony done in a dark black wood that she couldn't identify.

"I take it you found the potions lab?" Blaise asked dryly.

"We never, ever want to leave," Fred announced, grinning madly. "Do you even know the extent of the ingredients you have that we have wanted to find for years?"

Ginny just snickered. "I presume Severus is already in there?"

"He was grinning," George said looking rather disturbed by the revelation.

She pushed up off of Draco's back. "Seriously? You aren't kidding?"

"Get used to it," Draco said wickedly, tugging her down into his arms before kissing her lightly and setting her on her feet. "He tends to walk around in a haze when he first gets here. It will wear off in a few days."

"We should go," Blaise said, smirking. "We have plans for Ginny that do not include discussing Severus."

She laughed at the twins' expressions of mock horror as they covered their eyes and motioned for them to go away. "Where did Charlie disappear off to?"

"Who knows," Blaise said, leading them around to another small passage that brought them out near a large door which he pushed open to reveal a long passageway that seemed to lead all the way down to the other end of the building. Tapestries nearly covered the walls and where there weren't tapestries either weapons of all shapes and sizes or portraits were hung. They walked down a bit, taking a small staircase up to the next floor. Blaise led them down to a large set of doors done in the same black wood that she was noticing popped up everywhere around the building. "This is our suite. No one but the three of us will be able to open the doors."

"Just when I think you can't get more paranoid…" she said trying not to snicker. When he motioned her inside, she nearly gaped at the gorgeous rooms. Tipping her head back she realized that it was indeed two floors tall. It was all done in dark blues and greens and was just as elaborately decorated as the rest of the castle. "Wow. Just wow."

"Now, we should show you the bedroom," Blaise said huskily, turning and jumping up to a small balcony. He looked over his shoulder at them. "Come on up."

She just shook her head and followed. It was definitely going to be interesting around here, that much was certain.

-DBG-

Draco sprawled on the bed half-asleep with his head hanging over the side and his damp hair pooled on the floor. He couldn't bring himself to mind since he was watching Ginny get dressed though the view was upside down. It amused him. Humour was easier to find here where they were in no danger. It made him happy to see Ginny and Blaise so happy. Just watching her obvious delight of Valhalla had wiped his previous anger away totally.

They had bathed separately knowing that if they hadn't that they would have missed dinner altogether. Blaise had left a few minutes ago to check with their mothers and Severus to insure that everything was being handled and that everyone was settling in properly. He had also wanted to check Pansy, Daphne, and Bill. Not that they didn't trust Theo's assurances that the three of them were up and moving around, but because he, like Draco, wanted nothing to dim Ginny's happiness. Their dark-haired friend had knocked earlier while Ginny had been bathing and they had let him in. That was the only way anyone could get into their rooms though their mothers had never tried it so the spell may have let them in.

"Do I need to bother with shoes?" she called, snickering when she saw him.

"No, I am not even bothering with robes or a shirt," he replied, rolling over slowly, but not moving any further than that. "Theo said it is likely to snow tonight. Perhaps we can walk the grounds tomorrow?"

She glided into the room, barefoot and dressed in a loose-fitting pair of trousers and her preferred vest shirt. This one was deep blood red silk that matched her hair which she had pulled up in a loose knot at the base of her neck. He was too busy admiring his taste in women to notice that she had clothing for him over her arm- that was until she dropped it on the bed next to him. "As much as I adore you naked, I think you should at least put trousers on," she said with that teasing tone she had seemingly perfected.

He hopped out of the bed and pulled her close. "I was just admiring my taste in women, you look stunning."

"Why thank you," she replied, kissing his cheek before wiggling out of his hold. "If we start that then your mother will scold us for missing the meal."

Knowing how true it was, he pulled on the trousers she had brought out; amused that she hadn't bothered with anything else. They both grabbed a sword and their wands- having decided that even here going unarmed would be a mistake. Together they walked down the short staircase and into the main room with its massive fireplace and sitting area.

She moved over to the large windows and sighed, though he knew it was in happiness.

"I take it you approve of the view?"

"What is not to like? It has indeed started to snow and everything looks so peaceful. I never did ask how far the nearest town is."

He joined her, pointing to the left. "Sweden is that way and Russia is the opposite direction. We are on the southern border of an area the Muggles deemed a National Forest so the largest settlement anywhere close is Oulu to the south and Inari on the other side of the forest. Both have basic wizarding sections as well as the large one in Helsinki."

She turned away from the windows with that suspicious look back on her face. "Dare I ask just why the Muggles would do such a thing?"

He shot her an innocent look. "You would have to ask Blaise to be sure."

She rolled her eyes. "Lead me to dinner? I still think I am going to need a map."

He took her hand and they walked out into the main corridor and down towards the middle of the building. On the left there was a wide staircase which he took which led them up and across the smaller courtyard's middle building. The other side was the 'wood and glass bridge' or so he had always thought of it. "We are near the Great Hall now."

She grinned up at him and he promised himself right then and there to do his best to make her grin as often as possible. She simply glowed when she did. It was one of the things that had attracted him and Blaise to her in the first place actually. Not only was she a very practical person, seemingly handling anything life threw at her with an air of resigned determination but she clearly lived life to its fullest, having as much fun as she could as often as she could manage it.

"I love seeing you this happy," he told her as they stepped through the open doors and into the Great Hall.

She squeezed his hand lightly. "I like seeing you and Blaise this happy. It makes me want to stay here forever if it means you two stay this way."

"There you two are!" his mother called, waving them down to the far end of the enormous table that was rather like the ones at Hogwarts and would seat all of them easily. The only difference was that this one was wider, seating three at the head and foot- something he and Blaise had changed a few years back when this had become the one place they came to escape the hellish atmosphere in Britain seeing as they knew Severus and their mothers preferred to sit together and chat during meals.

Blaise joined them as they wandered down the nearly empty room, Ginny seeming to take it all in with that same amount of joy that she had done everything else here thus far. She seemed to particularly admire a tapestry that showed a battle of old, from around the time of the Magical/Muggle split. Neither of them missed her interest in the Viking bow and arrows either. In fact, it definitely gave Draco ideas. He didn't need to check with Blaise to know that they were thinking similarly on the matter either.

"Bill, Pansy, and Daphne will be here in a few minutes," Blaise informed them.

"Oh excellent!" Ginny exclaimed, kissing Blaise quickly before turning to see just what it was that his mother had spread out over the end of the table.

He glanced down and laughed. "The story has already been picked up internationally?"

Ginny leaned over to read The Daily Prophet special edition. He and Blaise shared an amused look with his mother as they awaited her reaction to the main story. "Oh my gods! How did you manage this in less than a day?"

Laughing, his mother just shook her head and pushed over the French paper. "It was dead easy, darling girl. Long had we known that such information may need to be made public. There was no way Marguerite or I would allow those idiots to put any of you at further risk."

Blaise looked up from the French paper, a maniacal grin on his face. "Apparently the International Confederation of Wizards will be formally requesting an inquiry into the British Ministry as early as tomorrow morning."

Draco leaned over Blaise's shoulder to read it himself, laughing outright a moment later. "Damn, I bet that wanker Fudge wishes he had just kept the status quo."

Ginny lightly tugged on his hair to get his attention and pointed at pages two and three where Mandy's attack as well as Bill's was detailed. In Mandy's case there were even a few pictures. He pouted at her, though she just winked and turned back to the paper.

When Theo and Tracey joined them a few minutes later, taking seats on the other side of the table, Draco's mood was even better than before. Page five and six of The Prophet had detailed not only their role in the battle on the Hogwarts Express but the long history of lycans- this one being totally true not the half-baked lies Molly Weasley and Potter had spouted off about.

"Do I want to know what could possibly have you three so…pleased?" Theo asked long-sufferingly, already reaching out for a bottle of wine.

Draco just sneered. "Dare I ask why you look liked you've been shagged right and proper?"

"Draco!"

He adopted the most innocent expression that he could. "Sorry, Mum, I know it isn't an appropriate question for the table."

"Causing trouble already, are you?"

Blaise just pulled out a chair for Ginny, ignoring Severus' teasing question, before sitting on her left. Draco shot Severus a sneer and took the seat on Ginny's right with a nod to the newspapers. "Internationally."

Severus sat with his mother and pulled a newspaper over. He scanned it quickly and snorted. "This sort of trouble I can abide by."

Theo just groaned. "You know what this means, don't you?"

Draco lifted a brow, handing Ginny and Blaise the wine glasses he was busy pouring. "That Fudge will be booted by morning?"

"Dumbledore will insist we return to Hogwarts," Theo grumbled.

"Oh hells no," Tracey said and then proceeded to empty her glass and reach for the bottle. "I want to stay here!"

"So do I."

Draco wasn't the least bit surprised that Ginny was on her feet and all but tackling her oldest brother a moment later. He turned to see her check him over, tsking that he was up and around already and basically doing a fair imitation of his mother or Marguerite when he or Blaise was injured.

He spotted Marguerite grin as she skirted the pair, joining them and sitting with his mother and Severus at the end of the table. "I spoke to Perttu, who says we should visit when we make it down to Helsinki. He also reassured me that should we want to show everyone around the country that he banned all British Ministry employees back in September-" she paused. "As a precaution since lycans have long been accepted and the persecution of any lycan for simply being a lycan is punishable here."

Draco shook his head and dug out the Finnish paper out of the pile. He knew that most European Ministries had long ago put laws in place to combat the British hard-liners. They would have been welcome in half a dozen countries had they not chosen to come here. It was no surprise that the paper had not only carried the story from Britain but had re-run stories that spotlighted witches and wizards of international fame that were lycans. Blaise stuck the Norwegian and Russian papers over the Finnish one and he glanced at them long enough to see that they carried similar stories.

Ginny slid into her chair a few minutes later while Bill, Daphne, and Pansy sat over with Tracey and Theo. She slid her hand into his. "Charlie will be along; apparently he found the library section dedicated to dragons. I am told he was hoping you had one on the grounds."

Blaise just pouted and rolled his eyes. "Mum wouldn't let us have one."

Draco snickered, stacking the papers and pouring them more wine. "I still think it would be a good idea, especially now that we have a certified handler."

"No," his mother and Marguerite chorused primly.

He figured they could try to talk them into it later, right now an amazing dinner was being brought in by the elves as the castle's other residents hurried in and seated themselves. With Ginny helping, the gods knew she had a very devious mind; surely they could come up with a sound argument for it. The first matter to be discussed over dinner would most certainly be that they all wanted to stay here, no matter what anyone else had to say on the matter.

That was certainly going to make for an interesting meal.

-DBG-

The 'discussion' had gone long into the night. Most of the younger students insisted that the basics that they needed to pass their O.W.L.'s and other end of year exams could be taught to them from Valhalla. After all, they had pointed out, they had Severus, Narcissa, Marguerite, and now Astrid (whom they were certain could help if she so chose to). Aradia had entered the fray by saying that they had long gone to Narcissa for Transfiguration assistance and Marguerite for Ancient Runes and Arithmancy help.

Fred and George jumped in at that point, arguing that they could more than handle Charms while Charlie could at least give them the basics in Care of Magical Creatures and that Bill was a 'bloody curse breaker' after all.

Draco and Blaise had refused to even look at their mothers after pointing out what danger they and Ginny would be in should they return. Ginny rolled her eyes and kept them in a steady supply of wine.

But, it was Mandy and Padma that managed to sway the 'parents' into conceding that shelving the idea of leaving until at least the third week in December would be the wisest choice. Though, Marguerite and Narcissa stumped them with the comment that they would be seen as allowing Potter and his mates to 'win' if they didn't return.

Theo lost his temper at that point saying that they were not fucking heroes and never had wanted to be. That he didn't give half a fuck what anyone thought, he just wanted to keep everyone safe. Tracey and Daphne had been quick to agree and Pansy just glared at the mere idea of going back.

It was at that point that everyone other than Astrid (who had remained silent during the discussion), Severus, Narcissa, and Marguerite had left for the ballroom which the house elves had set up to be much like the Slytherin common room. Not one of them was the least bit happy about having their first night at Valhalla sullied by the discussion, which was clear to all.

They didn't hesitate to break out the wine, Inferno, and firewhiskey in order to relax and celebrate finally being out of danger.

-DBG-

Severus watched them file out with a weary sigh. "I don't blame them, you know."

"Oh we know, as we feel the same," Marguerite snapped. "But, their rightful place is at home, in Britain. None should have been forced into this course of action in the first place."

"I suppose we should set some sort of schedule for the next few weeks," Narcissa said sadly.

"I can do that," Astrid offered. "Though, from what I gathered, most of them are ahead in their studies. I take it there is quite a bit of help that goes on in Slytherin in regards to lessons?"

Severus snorted. "You could say that. I may or may not have suggested that anyone with less than passing grades would mean a removal of their beverages and Inferno." He went on. "Most of them had tutors prior to Hogwarts and with the seven of them having nearly photographic memories at this point there isn't much that they haven't already read in regards to their texts. We will need to schedule training and those that wish to work with me in the potions lab should be allowed to do so."

"I can help with scheduling and I am a fair hand at Transfiguration and Charms," Astrid offered, already making notes.

"We will give them more freedoms," Marguerite insisted. "After all they have been put through I have no doubts that they will all apply themselves to their studies if it means more time for things like Quidditch and exploring the country. Perttu has promised to supply a protection detail should we feel it necessary, despite the precautions already in place."

"We feel it necessary." Narcissa sighed and sat back. "Part of me hates telling them they should go back. They could all make a nice life here, one without harassment and danger."

"You know they will go back, Cissy. Eventually." Severus poured them more wine. "If anything they will want to fight at least once if only to prove that they are not fighting with him."

Astrid stood. "I think I will go back to my rooms now, all of this upheaval has set my nerves on edge. I have to give all of you credit, the children as well, after putting up with this for months."

"Wine," Narcissa offered.

"Firewhiskey," Marguerite added.

Severus couldn't help himself, "I found mixing Inferno with Firewhiskey to be the best help."

Astrid just chuckled. "I am going to keep those suggestions in mind. I have a feeling they are going to keep life interesting."

Severus rolled his eyes and muttered, "Oh you have no idea."