Summary: Josie's family has fallen apart and she has to pick up the pieces. Her new brother and sister need her, but she still has some growing up to do. Draco Malfoy has always tormented her, but can she get past that and let him help? Rated M for violence and sex
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters. That's all on J.K. Rowling.
I woke up, but clenched my eyes shut expecting the worst. I couldn't remember what happened after I passed out, so I took in my surroundings without opening my eyes. I tried to move my hands around, but was greeted with intense pain. I moved my arms to each side and decided I was on a small bed. Gathering up the courage, I opened my eyes to be greeted by bright lights and a white room. I looked to my right and left and saw machines around me. I was in a hospital.
"Josie?" I looked towards an open door and smiled at Draco's shocked face. "Hey, dumb and dumber, she's awake." Amanda and Annalise came crashing through the door, fighting to get to the bed first. My smile widened as I saw them, all my fears washing away. Draco took a seat directly across from my bed, sipping some coffee, while Amanda and Annalise took a seat at my right and left, each grabbing one of my hands.
"How ya feelin, Joe?" Annalise looked up at me smiling like a kid at Christmas.
"Never better," I whispered, relaxing at being in the company of people that actually care about me.
"You gave us a mild heart attack there Joe. We thought we lost you after you passed out." Amanda seemed to be avoiding my eyes, trying to keep her strong, rock exterior. I gave her hand a gentle squeeze and she looked up at me, her tough appearance immediately melting away.
"How did you guys find me? To be honest, I thought I was going to waste away in there forever." I teared up a little at the thought of my experiences in those dungeons.
"Surprisingly, you can thank Malfoy for that. We overheard your dad and Rodolph Lestrange talking, so we rushed back to his house. He called a few people and did some research and narrowed it down to a torture chamber not far from here. Annalise and I put on some black cloaks and he used his high position to get us in there past the guards, saying that you were to be transferred to a different room, which you were, but not by us. We heard you screaming and barged in to find that jerk Flint, with his hands all over you. Malfoy jinxed him to infinity; I don't know if I've ever seen a bloke so mad." Amanda looked over at Draco. I could see that she was thankful, but still didn't trust him at all.
"Thank you Draco. I owe all three of you my life. I don't think I would have made it another day in that place." I looked away and couldn't get Flint out of my head.
"Don't mention it." Draco looked down at his feet. He was being awful quite; it made the room kind of uncomfortable.
"Amanda!" said Annalise suddenly. "Our news. Josie, we're both transferring to Hogwarts! Our parents agreed that Dumbledore is the one that will protect us best, plus Hogwarts is a better school. Our last two years of schooling with be with you!"
"You're serious?" I was in complete disbelief.
"Do you think we would kid about this?" Amanda said smiling, while Annalise was nodding her head vigorously.
"This is the best thing that's happened to me in a while." I wanted to cry out of happiness. In my excitement, I didn't notice a certain blonde haired boy leave the room.
Draco's Point of View
I made it out of the room without drawing attention to myself and started walking down the hallway. I was really shaken up by the whole ordeal. Seeing Josie like that gave me nightmares. I guess it never really hit me what I got myself into when I agreed to become a Deatheater. I had never tortured anyone before. There's a line that I've never crossed before between hating someone and killing someone because you hate them. How could they possibly do that to women and children? Josie looked so vulnerable; her rib cage showed that she was obviously malnourished, her wrists were ridiculously mangled, and her cheeks were stained with tears. Only a coward would attack a woman that defenseless.
"Mr. Malfoy?" I turned around at the sound of my name and saw the doctor that was treating Josie.
"Yes?"
"I would like to talk to you about your girlfriend, Josie." He looked at me very seriously and I felt a pink flush creep onto my angel white face.
"Uh, she's not my girlfriend. We're just friends," I muttered looking away from the ignorant doctor.
"Nevertheless, she seems to be recuperating. Her scars will never fully heal and it will be a painful recovery, but I think she will be fine. You do need to get her to eat more though. She is very weak and her wrists are cut terribly deep. I do think she would do well to get someone to help her recover mentally and emotionally. From what I know, she has quite a few problems with her family and she doesn't sleep well. I could suggest a few good doctors for you if you'd like." He grabbed a quill from behind his ear and started writing on a piece of paper.
"That will not be necessary, doctor. I can find a capable doctor on my own." I turned and walked away. I need some more coffee; this is bringing me a lot more stress than I anticipated.
Josie's POV
After a week and a half the doctor told me I could leave. He said he wanted me to gain ten to twenty pounds and drink a potion for my wrists every day for a month. I was a little wobbly walking at first, but I got my balance back after a few minutes. After some begging, Draco agreed to let Amanda and Annalise stay since we go back to Hogwarts next week. I'll finally feel safe there, but I'm going to have to talk Professor Dumbledore into letting me keep Noah and Abby at school. We were nearing Draco's house and I could feel the excitement rising up in my chest. I hadn't realized how much I had missed the babies. They'll be two months old in exactly three days. We all climbed out of the car and started walking towards the door. Draco helped me up the stairs and I made for my room. Libby walked out as I reached the door.
"Oh, hello Miss." She smiled with her huge alien-like eyes.
"Hey, Libby. How are the twins?" I really just wanted to run around her and see my siblings, but the pureblood in me told me that it was rude and wouldn't allow me to move. It didn't help that my legs weren't strong enough to carry me around her either.
"They're extraordinary miss. I really quite like them. Are you feeling better Miss. Leland?"
"Quite, thank you." I smiled at the alien-like creature as she scurried away. I hurried into the room with a warm smile plastered on my face. I looked into the crib to see the two beaming faces that I had missed terribly. Upon seeing the smile on my face, both babies copied. I laughed, which only encouraged them.
"Josie, you haven't introduced us to these cuddly smile generators yet," Annalise said half jokingly and half incredulously. I rolled my eyes and laughed again. Laughing was so much easier now.
"Well, my good friends, I would like you to meet Noah Alexander Leland and Abigail Clarice Leland. And, not that they will remember your names at their age, I would like you two to meet your Aunt Amanda and Aunt Annalise." I held out the babies already knowing that Amanda would reach for Noah and Annalise would reach for Abby. Annalise had always been a tad more girly. I knew that my friends would love both children equally and unconditionally though.
"Such a beautiful name, I find that it suits you. Your honey brown eyes are almost unbearable. They remind me why I adore chocolate," Annalise whispered to the smiling girl cradled in her arms. Amanda had taken a seat in the rocking chair that Draco had picked up while I was cooped up in the hospital.
"You know, Noah is a name of Hebraic origin. It means peaceful. Alexander on the other hand is Greek and means warrior. Alexander the Great conquered and ruled most of the world in around 336 B.C. It makes quite the oxymoron, peaceful warrior. Ah, but you have your mothers gentle blue eyes. It makes a bit more sense, she was always such a peaceful woman, but she had a fire that could strike down the largest army." Seeing how comfortable my best friends were instantly put me at ease. I could relax more often and easier.
"How do you know all that random junk off the top of your head? It's absurd." Draco was standing in the doorway looking at Amanda as if a grindylow had sprouted from her head. She instantly glared at him with her lips pursed.
"It is not random junk! The history of the world is important and I like to read. Just because your busy putting your body through a process that should be lethal doesn't mean the rest of us have to." She turned her head back to Noah and smirked.
"What do you mean by that? My body is perfectly healthy thank you. I have got to stop associating with people that know such nonsense like ridiculous words and utterly boring history." He pinched the bridge of nose and I snickered at their bickering, which won me a pair of glares from both of them.
"Do you have any idea of all the things a body goes through when having sex? The heart races and arteries constrict causing the blood pressure to skyrocket. The pupils dilate, core temperature rises, breathing becomes rapid and shallow, and the brain fires bursts of confusing and conflicting electrical impulses. Secretions erupt out of every gland, and muscles tense and spasm. It's violent and rigorous and potentially lethal," Amanda said intelligently.
"Hey! No sex talk in front of the kids Amanda." That was the last thing I ever wanted them to know about.
"Sorry, I was just stating facts and making a point."
"That's always your excuse," I muttered with a smirk.
"Well, I'm glad Pansy doesn't make me do that. Sometimes I like the fact that she's so unattractive. Okay, not really." He looked down morosely and sighed.
"Draco, visual." I muttered disgusted.
"Sorry. Well would you three like to watch a muggle movie down in the entertainment room?"
"You have muggle movies?" I was utterly bewildered at the thought of Draco having anything that involved muggles.
"That was another thing we picked up while you were resting. A TV I think it was called? And a few movies that those two suggested." I was impressed.
"Sounds like a plan." I smiled and Draco led the way. Amanda and Annalise brought Noah and Abby with them and Draco had a house elf roll the crib down also. I made two bottles while Draco made snacks. Amanda was in the other room fiddling with the DVD player and Annalise was holding the babies.
"I really want to thank you for all you've done Draco. I don't know what possessed you to suddenly be so nice to me, but I'm grateful for it. I owe you my life." Then I found myself doing something I thought I'd never do. I walked over and hugged him with all the sincerity I had in me. There were no tears and he wasn't trying to pick up my broken pieces. It was just a hug. His body stiffened and I almost decided it was a bad idea and let him go, but I felt his arms around me as he loosened up.
"I don't know. I can't explain it really. I've never felt the need to be nice to anyone really, but it feels good. Just don't go around telling everyone that I'm a softy. I'd like to keep my rep up." He smirked and I laughed releasing him.
We went back to the other room with food and bottles. Amanda had set up sleeping arrangements on the floor with the three girls. Draco would be sleeping on the couch. Amanda and Annalise wanted to feed the twins, so I snuggled into the blanket getting ready for the movie. We picked out Tristan and Isolde. I knew I'd end up crying by the end of this movie as much as I didn't want to. Draco settled in a chair waiting until the couch was free.
"Hey Amanda?" Annalise whispered so softly that Amanda had to strain her ears in order to hear her.
"Yeah?"
"Look at the way Malfoy looks at Josie. I don't like it. He's been good so far, but I don't trust him. Maybe he's not a bad guy, but my thoughts drift back to the letters and talks Josie had with us about him tormenting her."
"I know, I don't trust him either, but what do you mean by the way he looks at Joe?" Amanda looked thoroughly confused and Annalise just rolled her eyes.
"He likes her. I can see it in his eyes. It could just be lust though. Josie definitely grew up over the summer." Amanda nodded and eyed Draco suspiciously. After the twins were fed and burped they drifted off to sleep and were placed in the crib. The other three found their comfortable positions and by the end of the movie everyone had fallen asleep.
Author's Notes: I love that movie, it's definitely top 10. I had a little sex paragraph from House in this one. Haha I think it's absolutely lovely. Amanda cracks me up with her random knowledge. I'm not sure when the next part will be out, but I'll try to make it soon.
