"I don't understand," Ron's expression became a frown, "She's on the loose and has been stalking and attacking you since March?"
"That's what I'm saying," she answered.
"Why didn't you come to us or here?"
She almost smiled, "It was not an option."
Draco approached her and wrapped his arms around, "Pansy, I'm so glad you're alive."
She nodded and pulled away from him, "So am I but right now we have to worry about what to do with Cuida-"
"No," Blaise stopped her, "We need to worry about you and making sure you're okay and getting you back into classes and-"
"I'm fine," she said and her voice was nearly a growl, "We have to think about her, about how many innocents she is killing and how she will come here, after us, if we don't stop her."
"We have to-"
She whirled around and something flared inside her.
Blaise felt it most and reeled backwards, shaking at the ferocity.
The others stepped away and stared in fear at her eyes, a burning blackness and her sharp teeth and clenched fists.
"No," she snarled, "I am fine. It is the world at large we need to concern ourselves with."
"Okay," they relented and listened. Draco tentatively stood next to her and she conjured a map for them.
"I reentered Europe here, in Porto, Portugal," she said and traced a line down the coast with the Atlantic and then the Mediterranean Sea. "After following the coast for a few days-"
"You made that kind of progress?"
"I wasn't walking," she said, "I was using the muggle train system."
"Wasn't it dangerous?"
She shook her head, "Here," she made a red circle, "Is where I first encountered her," it was in the tiny space between the Italian border and Monaco in France.
"What happened?"
"She appeared on the train and killed three muggles, yelling for my blood and calling me a traitor and murderer." She began to trace the line again, "Then I was here, close to Genoa when we met again."
"So the attacks were close together?"
"I spent two weeks in hiding in Monaco before moving on."
"Oh."
"Anyways," she said, "Near Genoa she appeared again and killed a pair of muggles and left the Dead Queen's symbol in the sky."
"This was before the war?"
"In February," she paused, "The first, I think."
"Chael's birthday," Draco said and looked to his godfather.
She frowned, "Is that significant?"
"I should imagine," Draco said and frowned back at her. "My mother had her second child the same day Cuida attacks you."
She stood to her full height, as tall as the blond snake, "That is one of many attacks and I'm sure we could find something significant about every one of the days but we haven't the time." She turned back to the map, "I made my way South, then, into Rome and I stayed there for a fortnight, trying to gather support from the Italians but I could make no progress and so moved on. By the dawn of March I was in Seovenia, near Ljbuliana and heading North towards Austria."
"Why did you go all the way down to Rome and then just go north again?"
"I was stalling for time," she answered, "I wanted to wait, to see if the war unraveled itself and I would not be forced to kill Lucius."
"But, I-"
She cut him off, "After I entered Austria the trip became more perilous, Cuida attacked me four times in as many days. I was nearly in Graz before she stopped."
Blaise folded his arms over his chest and watched her continue the dawdling line North to the Czech Republic then out into Germany, almost to Berlin before she swung East again and entered northern Poland. The line trailed out, into Belarus then South through the Ukraine, Moldova, Romania and then veered North through Hungary and Slovakia. She claimed it was in mid July that she reached Krakow and found Lucius. This begged the question of why she did not return to England in March, after the war. She was in Germany and well enough to take the relatively short trip from Berlin to Brussels and then to London where she could hop the Express to Hogwarts. Ron asked her this, much to Blaise's surprise and the turned her dark eyes to him.
"I had a Spaniard trailing me and I did not think putting myself in an enclosed space to be a good idea, especially after her earlier attacks on me."
Ron did not seem to believe her but they listened as she recounted what she did for the last six weeks of summer and the first fortnight of the school year. She was in Poland, devising a plan to trap and ruin Cuida and then making slow and careful progress to the school.
Draco stepped back from the table and he and Hermione exchanged a look.
"Pansy, love," Draco spoke, "Calm down. I think you should sleep and we can all talk in the morning."
She started to speak but stopped. Harry could see it in her eyes, she released whatever she was holding on to. The blackness of her eyes lightened to the soft, honest brown they had been before and the ugly grey of her skin flushed with pink. Everything about her released and she shivered, as if she was feeling the cold she had experienced over the months, the heat and hunger and pain. She collapsed to the ground, "I'm so tired."
He knelt next to her, "I know, Pansy, I know."
They helped her stand and walked her back to Slytherin.
She lay down on her bed, inhaled deeply and turned her head away from them.
They left her, silently and went into the Common Room and out.
"What are we going to do?"
"I had hoped we were through with all this war and evil shite but maybe we'll never be totally finished."
"It's not our job anymore," Hermione said, "Harry did what he needed to, we helped, now it is up to the Ministry and the Aurors, not us."
"I agree," Blaise said. "Cuida is not our responsibility."
"We fought our war," Draco agreed, "And we have no debt left."
"I agree," Ron nodded.
"Harry?" they turned to him and the green eyed lion shrugged.
"I don't think it is our job necessarily but if Pansy thinks we should help then-"
They all cut him off by groaning. Draco leapt on to his back and rested his chin on top of Harry's head.
"You're such a hero, you know that?"
"Yeah," he smiled, "I know."
"You think we should make waves and look for Cuida?"
"We'll start," Hermione said, "By checking out reports in muggle newspapers to correspond with the attacks. We'll have to make a timeline and figure out a pattern of behavior."
"Then," Theo continued, "We'll place tracking spells and try and bait her for another attack. Of course, then we will need to create plans and involve the Ministry, Aurors, Azkaban guards, the Wizengamot and foreign ministries. Dumbledore will have to be informed and we should ask Azriel and Julian if they can help."
Draco sighed.
"What's wrong with you?" Ron asked the blonde.
"I could care less about Cuida and what she does. I worry about Pansy and what she's been through and what she'll do to herself now that it is all over."
"We should all stay with her for a while and show our support until she gets back on her feet."
"I think we can all agree on that."
They nodded.
"Let's go get ice-cream."
Everyone smiled at Blaise and agreed that it would make everything just a little better.
WOO! Costa Rica was great and it was awesome to come home and find a buttload of reviews. You guys rock my universe. Harry: YAAAY!
Draco: Yo quiero reviews!
Blaise::loves reviewers::
Ron: Hey!
Hermione: Now, now Ron, Blaise has always been very affectionate, calm down
Ron: Yeah...but, but that one pinched his bum!
Theo: I don't need to know anything about who is touching his bum.
Harry: Draco and I vote that there is a chapter full of snogging soon because that would be awesome.
FireStorm: I suppose that would be fine, I mean, everyone has been awesome about reviewing and things so that would be a good present.
Harry: SWEET!
Draco: And poor Theo and Hermione need to take their relationship to the next level-
Ron: And Blaise and I need to tell my mommy-
Blaise: And that old guy has to-
Harry: And we have to help Pansy-
Hermione: Classes! We have to go to classes-
Draco: And my brother, talk about my brother and Severus-
FireStorm: OKAY! It's all coming up, I promise, jeez!
LOVE
FireStorm and the kids
