A/N: I hope you guys are enjoying it! And thank you to my newest reviewer, xoGinevraMalfoyox for the awesome review :) Remember guys, reviews are love!

Being Georgiana by Spring Turkey

"When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends." - Japanese proverb

Georgiana Robins POV

When I woke up on Sunday, I was greeted, once again, by my mother in her finest robes, apparently ready to leave.

"Come, Georgiana, we're going to visit your father. Get dressed. And fix your hair." I glared at her back as she left the room.

After dressing (and brushing my hair, of course), I grabbed my cloak and forgot completely about breakfast before meeting everyone in the entrance of the large manor. It appeared that Lucius and Narcissa would be joining us. Narcissa looked breakable, and pale, as her much taller son appeared to be holding her up. I was thoroughly confused about why she was so upset about this whole thing, and made a note to ask Draco about it later. I soon forgot about this, though, as they did not come with us, and Lucius mentioned some other business he had.

"Good morning," and overly cheery Healer greeted us as our large party entered my father's room. I smiled weakly at her, but I did not leave the doorway as Simon and my mother approached his bedside. I couldn't even look at his face; my eyes were glued to where the blanket was tightly wrapped around his left arm. I felt my jaw clench and fists tighten when a large soft hand slid over my own. I didn't look into Draco's eyes because I was sure I would cry, but I relaxed enough to pull away from him and walk over to the bed.

I was very surprised to see tears forming in the corners of my mother's eyes as she clasped her husband's hand. It was interesting how I never thought that she loved him. I never thought of her loving anyone. I subconsciously reached for her other hand and while she didn't look at me, she tightened her grip.

"Georgiana, please come walk with me. I need some air. Draco, dear, will you stay with Simon?" she asked. I was in no position to decline her and followed her briskly out onto the streets of London.

"How are you, mother?" I asked after a few minutes of silence.

"I know, Georgiana, that you do not think highly of me as your mother. You have resented me since you were old enough to walk. You have disagreed with the way I have tried to bring you into society. You've hated the way I raised your brothers. You cannot stand the way I see things," she said. I wasn't sure where she was going with this, so I let her continue. "But believe you me, I care for your father as you do, and I would have done nothing in raising you that he disagreed with."

"Mother, I-"

"And I am afraid more than anything that your father will never open his eyes. So I am going to ask one thing of you, and I beg you to think about it before you make any rash decisions."

"What do you want me to do?" I asked. The way she was speaking was making me nervous.

"I want you to never return to our home," she replied. I was so shocked that I stopped walking. "You have a fair fortune in your vault at Gringotts, and Narcissa has obligingly agreed to allow you to stay at Malfoy Manor until you find lodgings of your own."

"Mother, if I may. How on earth would removing me from your life help anything?" I found myself asking. "I know that you do not think highly of my abilities in anything, but I assure you, if father is to pass away, which I refuse to believe will happen, who better to take care of you than me? The Ministry has Darcy away on business all the time, and Simon is but eleven. I refuse to leave you alone."

"I asked you to think about what I am asking you. Please, for once in your life, allow something to sit in your mind. I care for you, and I will not be able to support you at all. You will do nothing but despise your life everyday of taking care of me. I want for you to have a better life than I do now. I did not say that you would be out of my life." I looked into the face that so resembled mine for a trace of dishonesty, of selfishness, but for the first time in my life, neither was visible.

"I will think about it. But I will not assume it to be necessary; father will wake up and I won't believe otherwise," I said firmly. And then she did something which I never recall her once doing. She hugged me.

"Whatever happens, we'll be fine," she whispered.

When we re-entered the hospital room, Simon was sitting on a stool next to my father, talking to him. Of course, he was not receiving any answers, but I was glad to see something other than fear on his face. Neither my mother nor I had the heart to pull him away, so we both watched from afar. Draco was sitting beside him, encouraging him to speak and giving him ideas of what else to talk about. A smile graced my lips. I remember vaguely thinking that he would make someone a good father one day.

"Simon, would you like to go for lunch? Or would you rather stay here?" mother asked after a quarter of an hour watching him.

"I'd like to stay a bit longer, mum. Would you like to come speak to dad with me?" he asked innocently. I nearly laughed out loud at the prospect of my mother talking of nonsense with my little brother, but she surprisingly agreed.

"Draco, why don't you and Georgiana go and get us all something to eat?" asked my mother.

"Of course, Mrs Robins," he replied, with all the curtesy of a nobleman. If I didn't know myself better, I would say that I was falling for Draco Malfoy. But I was positive I wasn't.

"I'm guessing you already know what she spoke to me about?"

"I might," he replied with a wry smile. "Did you reject it immediately?"

"Why do you automatically assume that?" I asked.

"Your mother assured me that you would."

"What else do you speak about with my mother? And how often do such conversations take place?" I didn't feel as disturbed by this thought as I might have.

"We only speak when something is going to change. But she often mentions memories from your childhood. Your mother speaks very fondly of you, you know," he said, almost as if he was trying to make me feel bad. I remained silent. "I hope you understood why she doesn't want you to go back."

"Yes, she told me. I just can't even think with my father not waking up." I felt a few tears come to my eyes. "It's too hard."

"The Healer owled your mother this morning. The only reason that is a fear is they have been unable to identify the poison. They have only been able to confirm, however, that it was mixed with the Draught of Living Death, and the poison has rendered the antidote ineffective. We can only assume it was mixed to ensure he could not wake up and tell us what happened," he explained.

"Do you think we'll still be friends when we get back to school?" I asked tentatively. I wasn't one hundred percent sure why I was asking, but I knew in case anything happened, I would need someone to talk to. And I highly doubted I would be allowed to tell Ginny what happened. I'd owled her the day before and told her that he'd accidentally drank a potion that turned to poison when mixed with alcohol, and that they expected a full recovery soon.

"I don't see why not," he replied. I could feel him smiling, though I wasn't looking at him.

"I've gotten so used to always being alone. It's getting tiring," I sighed as we walked into a nearby Muggle sandwich shop.

"Why, though? I don't understand why you went out of your way to ensure you had no friends. You aren't a horrible person or anything," he stated bluntly.

"I thought you had me all figured out," I replied stubbornly. He rolled his eyes at me. "Alright, you were right. In first and second year, I associated with other people a bit. My best friend was Clare Waverly and she stabbed me in the back."

"You don't want to elaborate?"

"Nope." That was all he needed to know. We grabbed the food and walked bak onto the street.

"George, you can't hold everyone in a bad light because bitch of the century was a bad friend," said Draco, almost sounding scolding. I stopped walking.

"You just called me George."

"And?"

"I don't know. I was just surprised, I guess. We've been friends for a whole seven minutes." He laughed out loud at that. I frowned. "What?"

"I've known you my entire life. After spending so much time around everyone calling you that, it's usually the first thing I think of when I think of you. It's more forced to call you Georgiana or Robins." This time I laughed. I never really thought of how long we'd been acquainted, however forced it may have been.

"Okay, so I really didn't want to ask you this, but I can't get it out of my head." I thought my lying was pretty good. "What's the deal with Zabini?"

"What do you mean 'what's the deal'? Usually how it goes in life is a guy likes a girl, so he asks her out on a date. And usually when the guy looks like Blaise, they say yes," he said, speaking very slowly. I rolled my eyes. We were now back at Purge & Dowse, Ltd, aka St Mungo's.

"I apologise for not being interested in a seventeen year-old whose bedded more girls than my dad," I replied.

"I guess there are some other things daddy never told you," he muttered under his breath. But I heard him. I chose to ignore it for now. I'd pester him when my mother wasn't around. My mother and Simon were standing outside the room when we got to the Third Floor. They explained a Healer needed to see him. We gave them their food and agreed that it would be best if we left.

"I just want to see him once more before we leave. You guys go wait downstairs," I said.

"Georgiana, dear, I think we should stay with you. The last time-"

"You were right, mum, last time I was very tired and hungry. I'll be just fine. I'm only three floors above you." She finally consented and disappeared down the stairs after my brother. Draco looked a little indecisive about staying. "Please, just go." He finally left, looking over his shoulder several times in the process.

"Miss, you may go in now," the same cheery Healer from before informed me. I slowly walked into the room.

"Dad, I don't know if you can hear me, but please listen anyways. I really need you to wake up. I know there are some things happening that you don't want me to know, and I promise if you open your eyes, I'll never let anything bad happen to me." I was squeezing his hand so tightly. Tears stung at my eyes. "Please." I whispered.

"Hey," someone whispered from the doorway. I wiped my eyes and turned my head.

"Stephen! What are you doing here?" I was so glad to see him that I forget I was still clinging to my father.

"I just found out he was here from Darcy. I felt obligated to come see him, but now I'm not sure I can take it." He looked away from me and let out a bitter chuckle. "You probably think I'm a wimp, crying in the hospital like a woman."

"Oh, no! Not at all. At least you aren't afraid to show your feelings. I think it's sweet. If it makes you feel better, I'm crying too," I laughed. Right then, I felt a squeeze on my hand, the one that was holding my father's. I gasped and looked at his face, but his eyes were still close.

"What is it? What happened?" asked Stephen, taking a step into the room.

"I felt him squeeze my hand!" I exclaimed. I was excited and afraid at the same time.

"Oh, Georgiana, you probably wanted to feel it so bad," he said, now hugging me. I frowned at that. What was that supposed to mean? "You probably imagined it." I didn't say anything, but I couldn't believe he was saying that! I most definitely did not imagine it. "How about I take you for a walk? Some fresh air is just what you need." I didn't even realize I was moving until I was halfway down the corridor. But this was an unfamiliar part.

"Georgiana! There you are. Your mother's been worried sick." I don't know why I was so relieved to hear Draco.

"Oh, yeah. Stephen was just bringing me downstairs." I took my hand from his and walked back toward Draco.

"Taking that shortcut, Stephen?" Draco asked. He looked so serious; his jaw was clenched and he wasn't blinking.

"No, I must've turned the wrong way." He looked momentarily uncomfortable, but just smiled. "See you around, Georgiana." I waved at him. Before I knew it, Draco was yanking me down the stairs. I didn't understand why he was so upset.

He didn't say a word to me, even when we arrived at the manor. His parents were there to greet us and he just went straight to his room. I heard his door slam from the foyer. Lucius excused himself shortly after. I, too, retired to my temporary room, which was on the complete other side of the house. I decided it would be good to start packing. We were to leave at around seven.

About an hour later, there was a soft knock at my door.

"Come in!" I called. My back was to the door, but I was pretty sure I knew who it was. And I wasn't disappointed.

"Why was Stephen Waverly at the hospital?" he asked, sitting down on my bed.

"He was visiting my father." I kept my voice cold. It seemed he really didn't like him. "Why do you hate him so much?"

"What did he say to you?" he asked, completely ignoring my question. I sighed in frustration, but didn't reply. "Georgiana, what did he say to you?" I was openly shocked. I didn't understand why he was pressing this so much.

"He was going to take me for a walk. He thought I was hallucinating because..." I broke off, scared for the first time that he wouldn't believe me either.

"Because?"

"I felt my father squeeze my hand," I replied quietly. He looked unsure of what to say, opening and closing his mouth a few times.

"And you're sure that's what you felt? It didn't feel like a reflex, or a spasm?"

"No. I'm sure that's what it was. He always does that when he's upset me. I was not imagining it." Draco stood up right away and walked toward the door.

"I'll be back," he threw over his shoulder. I 'urgh'd' and threw the socks I was holding in the air. Then I heard my mother call for dinner downstairs. When I arrived, however, Draco and Lucius were missing.

"Where's Draco?" I asked no one in particular.

"Lucius just took him for a stroll before he goes back to school," Narcissa answered without looking at me. I didn't understand why everyone had to be so confusing.

Blaise Zabini POV

When I Apparated to the meeting place, Draco and Lucius were already there. I was a bit nervous that the only man guarding Georgiana and her mother was an eleven year old boy. I left my mother much more secure than that.

Just like all of the Death Eaters before me, I kissed the hem of the Dark Lord's robes and took my place in the circle, between Bellatrix Lestrange (who scared me immensely), and Draco. I filled my head with thoughts of school work and other girls at school. By the look in Draco's eyes, which I could barely see under his hood, I could tell he was doing the same.

"It may come as a surprise to have called you here," the Dark Lord's cold, high voice spoke across the room. "As you can see, our numbers have grown since the last meeting. Credit can go to none other than Waverly. I can almost say I am pleased." Waverly bowed deeply.

"That is my only ambition, my lord," he said. The Dark Lord did not reply.

"However, while we expand, so does the Order of the Phoenix. They have thwarted many of our plans thus far. There is no room for doubts here. If you have something to say against our objectives, speak now!" I fixed my eyes on the man at the front of the room. As always, some stupid person flew into a bow on the floor and praised him. He got annoyed and gave him a shot of pain. "We need to recruit new members, but they need to be skilled! We cannot have three hundred Crabbe's and Goyle's."

"My lord, I have several prospects," Waverly said, keeping his voice smooth in the way that so few of us managed. The Dark Lord flicked his gaze to him, he'd now taken a step into the circle. There was a glint of annoyance I could see, but he allowed Waverly to continue speaking. "My best one goes to school with Zabini and Draco Malfoy. I believe with their help, we can get her the next time she is away from Hogwarts." I felt my whole body tense up, but I didn't let my mind slip for a second.

"I expect her by Christmas, then. Draco, Blaise," he said. "Stephen tells me she is beautiful." It seemed he meant to say that last part to himself, but I could guess pretty easily what he was thinking, and I was utterly disgusted by the thought of him touching her. I didn't notice I had let that go through my mind until I heard 'Crucio!' and found myself writhing in pain. I gasped silently before getting rapidly to my feet. I held the Dark Lord's gaze. He did not announce what I had been punished for, which I was glad about. But I was not about to let it happen again.

He said a few other things before calling Draco, Lucius and Waverly into his private chambers. I couldn't help but pace among the other Death Eaters. Draco was a better Occlumens than me, but it was harder to hide the fact that you were hiding something. It's hard to pick out in a group of people, but with just the three of them, it could be hard.

"What's got your knickers in a twist, Zabini?" one of the hooded figures said to me. I recognized the voice as Yaxley. I really didn't like him, so I made up some lie about schoolwork that seemed to satisfy him. After about half an hour, Draco finally came out.

"Draco!" I called, signalling him to come over to me. He looked at me and nodded toward the exit. I followed him out. "What the hell was that about?" I asked once we were outside.

"Fucking Waverly, fucking Waverly!" was the reply I got. He shoved his hands into his pocket and leaned against the brick building we had just left.

"What happened?" I asked again. He closed his eyes and breathed out heavily.

"He - the Dark Lord - said that I'm responsible for Georgiana now. Waverly said he has to travel to get his other 'prospects.' Waverly put him on it. He convinced him how much better a choice I am because she trusts me and I go to school with her. I don't understand why they want her so bad!"

"I don't understand why you're so upset!" I roared back at him.

"Neither do I!" He was breathing very deeply, I could see his chest rising quickly. "I don't understand it. When Aurelius spoke to us... I thought that I could finally do something to help him." He stopped for a second and looked away from me. "But after the first time I talked to her, I felt like I needed to protect her. Like I needed to be near her."

"You've spoken to her before, mate," I said, trying to sound reassuring.

"No, not really. Maybe when I was nine. She was always there, but I never really spoke to her."

"D'you think you-" I began.

"Definitely not. It's not like that. But I'm not going to survive past Christmas, I can tell you that much. He gave me a taste of what kind of pain I'd go through if I failed." For the first time, I noticed the sweat that covered his face and vividly recalled my last 'taste'.

"We're going to figure something out. Did he say anything else?" I asked. His face turned whiter than normal and he clenched his fists one more.

"He told Waverly to finish his other incomplete job." I gave him a confused look. "To finish Aurelius off."

"What are we going to do?" My first thought was go straight to St Mungo's and kick his ass, but we were probably already too late. My earlier conference with Snape just came to mind and I told Draco what he'd said.

"I guess we trust him. Aurelius wouldn't have told him anything if he didn't trust him." I nodded. I was thinking about what a horrible state Georgiana was going to be in when she found out her father was gone for good.

"Do you want to, er, comfort Georgiana?" I asked awkwardly.

"No. I need some space from her." I nodded again. "We should get back to school," he said.

Georgiana Robins POV

The weirdest thing happened to me at the dinner table. I was talking to Narcissa and my vision went red and I collapsed. I was in pain everywhere. But however much it hurt, I wanted to get out of this house, so I assured my mother that really bad cramps had just kicked in and she let me go.

But the whole bus ride to Hogsmeade I could only think of two things: What the hell had happened to me at dinner? And where the bloody hell did Draco Malfoy disappear to?

A/N: Is anyone catching on?!?!?!? I'm so excited! I just can't hide it!!