Chapter 7: Explanations and Surprise Decisions
The next morning Isáwien made her way down the hallway to the Hospital Wing, smiling at Isabella who was leaning against the wall halfway down pretending to read. Kaira was around a corner on the other side of the wing waiting for the Baron to come and give her her own signal. Speaking of the spectre, he came through the wall to her left, some twenty feet up the hall and continued across the hall and through the doors to the Hospital Wing. This meant he had already done his part to delay Draco, and by now Balthazar was driving dear Dra nuts. Smirking softly she stopped in front of the Hospital Wing and opened the door, holding it open long enough for Lucius to sneak in undetected, then walked in herself. Casting a quick locking spell, she made her way down to the private beds and waved back at Lucius. She could already hear the Baron starting up a conversation, filling him in on how things were going.
"Hey," Isáwien said softly as she knocked on the door to Jamie's room, finding its occupant half awake.
"Isá?" Jamie asked sleepily before trying to stifle a yawn. "What time is it?"
"Just after seven, the sun is still trying to decide if it really wants to get all the way up," she replied with a grin as she walked in. "I come with contraband. Chocolate!" she continued holding up the box. "I have éclairs and some of those wonderful strawberries Severus is always sending from France. I finally got a batch that Desi didn't eat."
Jamie could not help but chuckle. "What a yummy breakfast you bring. I'll have one of those strawberries if you don't mind."
"But of course. Who could resist a chocolate dipped strawberry?" Isáwien replied with a laugh as she opened the box and handed her one, taking an éclair for herself before setting the box on the table where Jamie could reach it, and pulling up a chair for herself. "Well, other than Shields of course," she smiled down at her familiar who growled softly. "All right all right," she rolled her eyes and broke the éclair in half, handing half to the tiger. "Poppy would have a fit, hell your vet would have a fit. But you can't die till I do so enjoy."
"I'm sorry," Jamie said quietly after a few moments, refusing to meet her friend's gaze.
"For what Jyn?" Isáwien asked softly.
"For everything…for the other day…If I'd only let you explain I…I wouldn't be here right now," Jamie replied, still refusing to raise her eyes from her hands, where she was playing with her wedding rings.
"Jamie girl, don't," replied Isáwien reaching out and catching her friend's chin with one finger, turning her head to look at her. "Don't be Love. I need your forgiveness more than you need mine."
"Why would I need to forgive you Isá? You've done so much to help me already and I throw that back in your face. What kind of friend does that?" Jamie asked, wiping away an escaped tear.
"One who's lost, hurt, and doesn't know what to believe anymore," Isáwien replied as she summoned a tissue. "Before we get to why I need your forgiveness, why don't I help explain last night?"
"It scares me Isá…last night…I feel like I'm losing my mind, and I know for a fact that Draco thinks that. I mean it's not everyday that your girlfriend swears she can hear her dead husband's voice after waking up from a coma," Jamie commented quietly. "It's just…I'm scared…terrified actually. I don't know what's happening anymore and it scares the hell out of me."
"Okay Jyn I have a lot of info for you and it's going to not make much sense at first," Isáwien began softly. "But first, you're not losing your mind. And Draco thinks I've lost mine more than he thinks you've lost yours. He told me to my face yesterday that I was insane. He probably just thinks you were overtired and that it was probably me causing your problems."
"Well…" Jamie interrupted a little hesitantly. "He did blame you for something…"
"I know this is off our original topic, but what is he blaming me for?" Isáwien asked confused, finding it hard to believe Draco would mention some of the things they argued about to her.
"He demanded to know if you put these rings back on my hand," Jamie replied quietly, once more playing with the rings.
"Only if I gave you my set," Isáwien said softly as she looked at the rings. "I had no idea where you kept the rings. And as you can see, mine are safely on my hand," she continued holding up her right hand.
"I don't know where they came from. I know I wasn't wearing them the day I returned to Hogwarts because I couldn't find them anywhere in the Master Bedroom at the Manor. All I know is I woke up wearing them yesterday, causing Draco to lose it on me and demand I tell him who gave them to me and made me promise to tell him if it was you and then wanted to know what it was that we were arguing about that would cause me to stay out so late and then suggested I leave Hogwarts, to get away from everything and everyone, especially you."
"Uhh, well I think I might have your answer," Isáwien murmured as she glanced back towards the hospital wing doors. /-/What did you do, you bloody bugger?/-/ she mentally thought to her brother, making sure to block Jamie and Draco. "But before we get to that, why don't I explain last night like planned."
/-/What the hell are you on about now?/-/ came the sarcastic reply.
/-/The rings you dingbat, how do I explain them when no one knew where they were?/-/ she called back
/-/That idiotic son of mine hid them in my study. Tell her one of the portraits told you where they were./-/
/-/I just told her I didn't give them to her! What am I suppose to do say Malachai's ghost did!/-/
/-/How the hell should I know, I didn't intend to give them to her in the first place, it just sort of happened. I gave them to her and they belong to her, not locked up in my study./-/
/-/I know that you idiot. But hello it doesn't make things easier. Couldn't you have slipped them in her purse or something?/-/
/-/And just how the hell was I supposed to do that when she was lying unconscious in the Hospital Wing? I wasn't thinking when I put them on, I just…I can't lose her again, especially not to my son./-/
"Isá, is everything alright?" Jamie asked tentatively after a few moments of silence.
"Huh? Oh I'm sorry. I was having a bit of a conversation. With" /-/Uhhh/-/ "Shields," Isáwien continued proud of her ingenuity. /-/Yeah, so Shields don't worry about it and make sure your son stays occupied,/-/ she quickly thought to her brother
/-/SHIELDS? What the hell are you smoking woman?/-/
/-/Shut up already Lucius!/-/ she hissed. "But, I was going to explain last night. I really was. Before Shields interrupted me with his begging for more éclairs," Isáwien continued to Jamie.
"Oh," Jamie replied. "Like I said Isá, what happened last night…it terrifies me, I've been scared out of my mind since Christmas actually…I don't recognize myself anymore and that scares me."
"I know Love. But now that you've remembered you're wedding. Which I'm assuming you have seeing as you remember me coming to interrupt your honeymoon. I can finally explain a few things and they might help."
Jamie could not help the blush that spread across her cheeks at the memory of how her friend had found her and Lucius. "Isá…again I am so sorry for everything I accused you of…I should have…"
"Jyn, stop, please. We've done this too many times, baby girl," Isáwien interrupted her. "And get rid of that blush missy. We are not repeating this again. Not in the Hospital Wing especially. Too much Deja-Vú."
"Isá, what are you talking about? Not repeating what? Gods…I'm so confused. I don't know what's going on anymore."
"Okay, deep breath, Love. After my little interruption on you and Lucius, when I knocked you two out? You guys were brought here to Hogwarts. And when you woke up, we went through this lovely period where every time I mentioned New Years or your wedding you'd blush so much you're hair looked pale. That's what we are not repeating. It's not worth it. Besides, you've walked in on Severus and me sleeping so… we're even now."
"Right, thanks for the reminder to the mental imagery Isá. That's not exactly something I really want to remember."
"Hey, at least you only saw us, fully clothed mind you, sleeping in a bed. Well, we weren't sleeping any more thanks to Desi but still. You didn't walk in on your best friend and brother... Oh Gods...the image…OH GODS!" Isáwien said as she smacked her head. "Go away go away go away. Jyn it won't go away," she cried.
"Hey! No one made you pick that particular time to walk in on us. And besides we weren't exactly expecting company any time soon. How were we supposed to know that you, my Father and the whole flipping Order of the Phoenix cavalry were going to come charging in on us. Especially in that particular room in the Manor," Jamie snapped defensively. "If I recall correctly, neither Lucius nor I had any intention of having any witnesses for that particular part of the ceremony.
"That's not the image in my head," Isáwien replied. "I'd give anything to have just that image, now," she continued looking as if she wanted to cry, or claw her eyes out.
"EEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWW! ISÁ! I did not need that!" /-/Think of Luc, Think of Luc, Think of Luc, Think of Luc./-/
"Did you just say what I think you did?" Isáwien asked looking at her in surprise. "Err; make that think what I think you did..."
"Isá, what are you talking about? I didn't think anything except how to get the mental image of you and Harry together out of my he…oh no, not again…" /-/Think of Luc, Think of Luc, Think of Luc, Think of Luc./-/
"Ahh but you are. Right now you're thinking and I quote. "Think of Luc, think of Luc, think of Luc," Isáwien replied with a smile. "Your blocks are down Jyn. You're pretty much broadcasting to anyone who has ever been connected to you either through a bonding or through another means," she explained softly.
"Okay, now I'm confused…broadcasting? Bonded? What other means?" Jamie asked; panic could be heard breaking into her voice.
"Okay, calm down Jyn. I should have started at the beginning, deep breath okay?"
Jamie nodded as she tried to calm her breathing. "Please just tell me what's going on? You keep saying I'm not crazy but from everything you've said so far, I'm seriously starting to doubt both our sanities."
"Err, you and Draco both on my part... but ignore me on that. Okay, do you remember going through the bonding ceremony with Lucius?"
Jamie dropped her eyes back to her hands once more before nodding. "The second ceremony with the dagger, I don't…I don't remember everything it entailed just that…that it made me feel whole somehow…I can't…I don't…."
"It's okay Love. You didn't know much about it the first time around. So..." Isáwien shrugged softly. "A Bonding ceremony is when a witch and wizard give each other their blood, magic, and soul. They belong to each other for all eternity and no one can keep them apart. There's a connection formed that not even the most powerful wizards can break."
"A connection? What kind of connection?" Jamie asked warily.
"You can sense each other. You have a sense of completeness that was never there before. And you can hear each other's thoughts," Isáwien explained slowly.
"So what you're saying is that the feeling I had before Christmas of being incomplete…of having something missing was caused by this bond? And that the voice I heard last night was…no…no he's dead, it's impossible...Isá he's dead," Jamie finished frantically, tears welling in her eyes.
"Jyn it's okay. Please don't start crying on me. I know that we all think he's gone. Believe me we had this very conversation before you lost your memory," Isáwien said trying not to cry as well. /-/But baby girl there's more to it,/-/ she whispered with her mind, not being able to speak anymore and knowing things had to be said.
"What do you mean there's more?" Jamie said fighting back her tears and wiping away the few that escaped. "And how the hell did I just hear you?"
"That would be the more part Love. You don't remember this yet. And it's going to be a hell of a shock when you do. And I'd love to tell you more. But Draco's here at the school and we can't risk him finding out I'm breaking the rules. You know that I married Tom Riddle. And you know that Lucius is my brother," Jamie nodded and Isáwien continued. "Okay, because Lucius and I are siblings and our family background is so magically strong, for lack of a better word, he and I can communicate with our thoughts. For years I knew that I could talk to Gilly, my cousin because the Higginbothams are able to talk that way, so I assumed that was why I was able to communicate with Draco in the same manner. After your marriage to Lucius, a lot of stuff happened and six years ago at the end of February, you, Lucius, and I went and joined Tom. You and I never betrayed anyone contrary to what Draco may say about me. Albus would back me up on this a hundred percent. We were given no choice, and we chose to go because Lucius and Tom made us happy. Well, Lucius made you happy, Tom made me happy, but same thing," Isáwien explained waving her hand around slightly.
"Wait a minute…what do you mean we were given no choice? And what does Albus have to do with any of this?" Jamie interrupted.
"This is going to be a long story." /-/I hope they have no problem keeping Draco busy for a while./-/ "A bunch of crap happened basically," Isáwien replied honestly. "And we had a choice between staying here and living in hell or going and joining Tom and being happy. So we took the latter, but before we left we wrote a letter to Albus explaining what we were doing, why we were doing it and promised that no matter what, we would not share any of the Orders' secrets. Tom and Lucius knew about this and agreed. They'd get the information they needed from somewhere other than us. So we left. Albus received the letter and from what I've heard over the years, he raised hell with those that had been making our lives so horrible...in particular my lifebond, your brother, and my nephew."
"Isá this is making the kind of sense that's…not. I'm still as confused as ever."
"I know. And it's not going to make much more sense until you remember things or we have more time to talk. Which thanks to my idiot nephew we don't as he is determined to take you from the school today so I'm trying to get in as much as I can this morning. I'm sorry."
"I don't know what terrifies me more. Staying here and learning the truth or leaving and never knowing," Jamie commented quietly.
"I know Jyn. I know. But don't let Draco make the decision for you. It's your decision and yours alone. I talked to the staff yesterday after Dra and I had some not so kind words. You can leave if you want; no one's keeping you here. But if he tries to force you to go against your will, all of us will be here to help you get what you want," she explained softly. "But, before we get involved in the mess, I have to finish explaining why you can hear me huh?"
"Please do."
"Okay, I know it makes no sense why we went to join Tom. But the truth is we did. And we were very very happy there. In fact you, my little wallflower, were able to see that the Gryffindorks were punished for what they did. Seeing as Fudge was unable to do anything in his stupidity. And believe me Love, you were happy with Lucius. Even though things didn't start out perfect, they were great after we joined Tom. Lucius and I even made amends after twenty years of sibling rivalry to say the least for our actions. But that's going to all come back to you in time. My guess is by May you'll remember everything. The reason I mentioned us going to join Tom, besides that being how I married my dearly departed husband, it was how Lucius and I learned of our mental connection," Seeing Jamie nod Isáwien continued. "Tom was the one who filled us in. He explained to us how you and I were able to talk. Though Lucius and I thought he was full of it when he first said we could hear each other, course that was until your dear husband decided to mentally think that Tom was full of it. And I heard him and shrieked. All mentally of course…gave Lucius a splitting headache that day," Isáwien smiled in memory. /-/Do you recall that lovely day brother dear?/-/ she asked blocking Jamie.
/-/I can still feel the bloody headache,/-/ came the sarcastic reply
Isáwien fought the giggles that wanted to escape as she looked at her best friend knowing she would not understand why she was laughing.
"I'm having a little trouble reconciling the idea of a caring and loving Tom Riddle with the memories I have of the monster that killed my parents, that…that raped me in the Chamber of Secrets, that tried for years to kill my brother, that used my own Father against me and then when I go to him he turns around a hands me over to his right hand man. I know I married Lucius willingly but that doesn't change the way I ended up at the Manor in the first place. I don't remember Tom as anything but a horrible, wretched man."
"Jyn girl, you had the same response when we first went to Tom. Hell, I had the same response when he first started intruding on my visions and never stopped chattering away in my head. And it took a while to get used to the Tom that we knew before he died. Until you remember him for yourself, I don't blame you for having trouble remembering," Isáwien replied softly.
"The thing is Isá, I don't know if I even really want to remember anything anymore. The more I think about it the more I think Draco might be right in keeping this from me. All it's doing is causing me pain, which in turn is hurting those around me. And if I stopped remembering than Draco wouldn't have anything to hold over the heads of everyone I care about and everyone would be safe. Maybe it's for the best that my past just stays buried…"
/-/What? No…Isáwien you can't let her think that,/-/ Lucius ordered through his connection with his sister, making sure he blocked Jamie from his thoughts. /-/I don't care what you have to do just change her mind./-/
/-/No shite Sherlock,/-/ Isáwien thought back to her brother. "Jyn, I know it's hard. But it won't be easy keeping things buried either. The memories want to be released. And they're not going to stay buried just because you tell them too. Wouldn't it be easier to face them with people who want to help? Don't get me wrong; I'm always just a thought away. But we both know Draco isn't the most helpful person when it comes to your memory."
"I know Isá, it's just…I don't know. I don't know who I am any more…hell I don't even recognize myself. I surely shocked the hell out of Abraxas…I just wish I could go back to being the girl that I was before my life went to hell so many years ago. If I was, then none of this would be happening right now…"
/-/What does Father have to do with any of this?/-/ Lucius asked in confusion.
/-/Beats me, but then again, the only way she could have gotten into Secretum Cella.../-/ Isáwien trailed off. /-/Bloody hell he took my orders more to heart than I expected./-/ "Jyn, unfortunately none of us can go back in time." /-/This time./-/ "But there's still no guarantee that things would be any different."
"I know that Isá…it's just…AAARRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH! This is just so Gods damn frustrating and confusing. I'm really beginning to wish I'd never gone to that Gods forsaken room," growled Jamie.
"You went to Secretum Cella," Isáwien replied softly, not a question yet still one.
"Excuse me?" Jamie asked in confusion, she had not really been paying much attention to what Isáwien had been saying.
"The room...it was Secretum Cella...the room behind my father's portrait," Isáwien explained.
"Oh," Jamie replied quietly. "I don't know which was the bigger mistake, going in or coming out."
"Would you rather go back to not having the memories and having that hole? I know it's hard but which is really worse?"
"NO! ...I…I don't know," Jamie groaned. "It's just…I'm beginning to think I should have just stayed locked up behind Abraxas for the rest of my life. I still can't believe he let me in in the first place, mind you I don't think Malachai was too happy about it. At least not judging by the way he reacted when I came out."
"Well it's not my uncle's life or my father's. Jyn it's yours."
"Don't you think I know that Isá? I just don't know what to think or believe anymore. My heart desperately wants to believe one thing but my head says something completely different and it's tearing me apart. I just wish…it doesn't matter. There isn't anything that can be done to change it so why wish for it right? I'm just prolonging my pain by hoping and wishing for the impossible."
"What is your heart saying?"
"That Luc's alive," Jamie replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
"And why do you think he's not?" Isáwien replied softly.
"He promised me he'd never leave me Isá, if he is still alive where the bloody hell has he been all this time. You have no idea what my life has been like without him. I need him Isá and he's not here, which tells me that he either doesn't love me like he said he did or he's dead."
"Jyn, Lucius is alive. He is. But maybe there's another reason for his being gone all this time. One we never thought of before."
"Like what Isá? No, if…if Lucius is…was alive, then it's obvious to me that I did not mean as much to him as he made me believe."
"I thought of this the other night. What if he's been here all along, but he saw the public persona of you and Draco and thought you were better off without him?"
"I never thought we were that believable. All he would have had to do was look into my eyes to see the truth of the matter. If Lucius had come back I never would have had to turn into the person I became…I would still know how to feel…"
/-/Damn it! Isáwien we got trouble./-/
"Jyn I know. But please, don't give up on us yet," Isáwien pleaded knowing that time was up.
/-/Don't do anything that would reveal yourself Lucius. Don't risk Draco knowing you're here./-/
/-/And risk being killed by my own psychotic son? Of course not./-/
"Isa, is everything alright?" Jamie asked in concern.
"Jyn, I know it makes no sense. But please don't give up on yourself or us," Isáwien replied softly.
"Isá…what…" Jamie's question was cut off as Draco came storming into the room.
"What the hell is going on in here?" Draco demanded
/-/Arrogant prat…can't believe you're my son,/-/ came the disappointed voice of Lucius.
/-/You and me both brother./-/ "We're having breakfast and talking," Isáwien replied looking up at him making sure her expression was devoid of anything that might show otherwise.
"Draco, what are you doing here?" Jamie asked, refusing to look at him.
"I came to see you. I was hoping we'd be able to spend some time together. Alone," he replied softer although it was easy to see that he wanted Isáwien to leave, at least to the person in question.
"I better get down to breakfast anyway," Isáwien replied softly. "I believe Kaira and Bella will be waiting to hear how you're doing," she continued standing up. "Take care Jyn girl," she smiled softly at her "And enjoy the strawberries." /-/Don't give up baby girl/-/ she whispered before walking from the room.
"So how are you?" Draco asked taking the seat Isáwien had vacated. "She wasn't bothering you was she?"
"I'm fine Draco and no she wasn't bothering me. Look…Draco…I don't want to fight with you so if you've come here to argue with me then you can just leave. I just…don't have the energy right now," Jamie replied tiredly as she lay back down and turned her back on Draco.
"I'm sorry Love. Of course we won't argue. In fact, why don't we just get out of here? Go where you can relax without worry of first years coming in to bother you or Poppy," he suggested as he brushed the hair from the side of her face.
"What's the point in leaving Draco if you're just going to go back to Albus and back to work and leave me alone again?" Jamie asked, fighting back the tears she knew were coming.
"I'll take time off love," he promised.
"You promise?" Jamie asked, turning slightly to look at Draco. "You're not just saying that to get me to agree? You're not going to take me back to the Manor and just up and disappear are you?"
"Of course not, I'll stay here more often."
"Alright, but on one condition..."
"Okay," Draco agreed slowly.
"Anywhere but the Manor or anywhere that is in anyway connected to either one of us or our pasts."
"Okay... I might be able to get Isáwien to let us go to O'Conner Manor. It's empty."
"No, Draco…somewhere where nobody knows us or my past. I want to be somewhere where I can just be me for a while. Can we just go somewhere that is in no way connected to any of the Malfoys or Snapes? Somewhere where people like Isá and Father and Harry can't find us?"
"America?"
"I don't care Draco, just anywhere…anywhere we're not known…somewhere where we can get to know each other again without all this hanging over us. Please, somewhere where it's just the two of us."
"Okay, we'll figure something out."
"Okay," Jamie commented with a small smile. "Let me just get dressed and we'll go."
"Okay, I'll let the Headmistress and Poppy know."
"Draco," Jamie called out to him as he was preparing to leave.
"Yeah Love?" he asked softly
"Thank you," Jamie replied quietly before turning her attention to getting herself out of bed and dressed.
"You're welcome," he replied before leaving the wing.
Isáwien sighed softly as she walked out of the Great Hall with Abby. They were going to take Kaira and Bella to see Jamie before sending the two first years off to class. Which, speaking of the little munchkins, they had finally joined them. Nodding at both of them Isáwien let out another deep breath as she started to turn. But something made her look up first. Stopping in her tracks she realized one of her worst fears was coming true. Jamie was standing with Draco not twenty feet away from them, making their way towards the main doors.
"Dra? Jyn?" she called softly across the room.
Draco and Jamie stopped just as they reached the front doors. "Is," Draco said coldly as he turned to face his aunt.
/-/So you're leaving,/-/ Isáwien replied knowing immediately this would be a conversation Jamie did not need to hear.
"Jamie! You're feeling better then," Kaira said with a smile as she and Bella walked over to her.
/-/Isn't it obvious? I'm taking Jamie away from here and away from you,/-/ Draco replied.
"I'm fine Kaira," Jamie replied quietly to the first year's question, without really making any kind of eye contact.
"You're taking a break?" Bella asked softly. "Not that I blame you. If I had the chance I'd jump at it," she continued with a smile
/-/Where are you guys going to go? She won't be comfortable at the Manor. Do you guys want to use one of the other houses?/-/ Isáwien offered.
"Not exactly," came Jamie's quiet reply.
/-/That won't be necessary Is. I'm taking Jamie as far away from Hogwarts and England as I can, as she requested,/-/ Draco replied, the smirk evident in his thoughts as well as on his lips
/-/What do you mean you're taking her from England?/-/ Isáwien asked in shock
"Isá, are you all right?" Abby asked noticing the sudden lack of colour in the Charms teacher's face.
"It means exactly what you think it means, my darling Aunt. Jamie and I are leaving England as soon as we leave Hogwarts," Draco replied smugly.
"Are you sure Jyn?" Isáwien asked softly. /-/LUCIUS!/-/ Isáwien mentally screamed blocking Draco and Jamie and not giving a damn if he never forgave her for this.
Jamie nodded. She could not bring herself to answer let alone turn around to face her friend.
"There's your proof Is. Jamie is leaving of her own free will, you can't stop me from taking her from here," commented Draco
/-/What the bloody hell is your problem woman?/-/ came the annoyed response from Lucius.
"Come on Jamie, let's get you out of here," Draco said as he turned and started leading Jamie out of the Entrance Hall
/-/Draco's taking Jamie from England,/-/ Isáwien cried out. /-/You have to stop him. You have to convince her to stay. Do something damn it… do anything! Just don't let him take her from England. If he does we'll never see her again. KEEP her here damn it! Do anything…just don't use the brand or the bracelet. But you have to keep her here Lucius. You have to,/-/ Isáwien pleaded
/-/That's going to require breaking into her mind Isáwien. You told me to stay out of her mind if I recall correctly./-/
/-/I don't give a shite any more Lucius. STOP HER!/-/ Isáwien hissed as she watched them move closer to the doors, closer to leaving England.
/-/Fine! Just don't go anywhere, she may need you since I don't know how she's going to react to this./-/
/-/I know I know. Just do something. Soon,/-/ Isáwien replied as she tried to keep from physically crying.
Just as Jamie and Draco reached the doors leading out of the castle, Jamie stopped suddenly, dropping her head into her hands, whimpering quietly as images started to form in her mind.
"Why did you agree to the bonding?"
"Because against my better judgement, I fell in love with you and I wanted to prove to you just how much you had captured my heart."
"Did you know what was involved in the bonding before agreeing to it?" Lucius asked as he pulled away and leaned up on his elbow to look at Jamie.
Luc, those days we spent at the Manor after Christmas were some of the happiest I've had in a really long time. You had every right to do whatever you wanted with me but you didn't. You made me feel wanted and needed. Me, not Jamie Potter, not twin sister of the Boy-Who-Lived, but me…Jamie. Yes, you wanted to claim me, don't look at me like that, I know you did, I could feel it every night when you held me, but you didn't. You never once pushed me for anything, not answers and not my body. I have spent the past five months, hell, the past five years, fighting to be noticed for me, to be wanted, to be needed and during that week at the Manor, you gave me all that freely. I never once had to fight for it. I'll admit that when I agreed to the bonding, I didn't know all that much about it other than what I'd overheard but I didn't care. I saw the way you would look at me during the week and I know the way I felt when I was around you and no one, not even Draco ever made me feel the way that you do. It nearly killed me seeing you in the Hospital Wing, I love you so much that…"
Jamie never got to finish what she was saying since Lucius had leaned over and captured her lips with his…
Jamie whimpered and dropped to her knees as the images in her mind changed…
"Is there a tattoo of the Malfoy family crest on my lower back?" Jamie asked into Lucius' shoulder and felt him tense under her.
Pulling back from the embrace, Lucius looked Jamie directly in the eye. "Yes, Jamie, there is. I put it there that night in the throne room."
"Oh…why?"
"It was another way to control you, just like this was meant to be," Lucius commented as he raised Jamie's wrist with the bracelet on it to his lips and gently kissed the inside of her wrist. "I have no real need of them any more, especially not the brand on your back."
"Why not? I mean, I understand what the bracelet does, but what was the purpose of the tattoo?"
"Let me show you," Lucius whispered in Jamie's ear as he ghosted his hand over the tattoo before leading her back over to the doorway. "Stay," he ordered as he walked back over to the fire and sat down in the chair with his back to Jamie. /-/Come to me,/-/ Lucius thought to himself while making sure he had a block up on his link with Jamie.
Jamie stood there in confusion as she watched Lucius sit down with his back her. A few moments later, she felt this pleasant but persistent pull towards Lucius as a warmth of desire spread through her body, which of its own free will started moving towards where Lucius was sitting. When Jamie stopped in front of Lucius he smirked up at her. "It was designed as a way of getting you to come to me whenever I felt the need to claim you. But since you seem to come quite willingly in my bed, its purpose is no longer needed. It also acts as a way of telling everyone that you belong to me in every sense of the word."
"Um hmm," Jamie whimpered before collapsing into Lucius' kiss as he lifted her into his arms and carried her to bed.
"Jamie…Love…what is it? What's wrong?" Draco asked in concern as he knelt down next to Jamie who was now rocking back and forth, her head still in hands, whimpering quietly.
Creeping into the room, she could see someone sitting in a chair by the fire, his back turned to her. Jamie snuck up behind them and slid her hands down his chest, "I love the robe but I'd love it even more if you took it off me," Jamie whispered as she nibbled on their ear.
Growling, Lucius took a hold of Jamie's arm and swung her around until she was sitting across his lap and he captured her lips in a hungry kiss, trying to devour her as best he could. "What are you doing here and how did you get in?"
"I missed you, my love, and as for how I got in…I'm not a Slytherin for nothing, you know. Besides, I have Albus wrapped around my little finger. When I found out you'd been moved, I went storming off to Albus and he told me where you were…without actually telling me where you were," Jamie replied as she nuzzled Lucius' neck. "Let's just say that Albus was not a part of having you locked in here like this."
…
Jamie growled.
"Did you just…growl, my darling?" Lucius asked in surprise causing Jamie to blush and drop her gaze. Putting a finger under her chin, he raised her face so he could look into her eyes. "You know, you're very sexy when you do that," he told her just before he kissed her passionately again.
…
Jamie squealed as Lucius started tickling her sides. "Why, you little minx, you," Lucius commented as he continued to tickle the squirming girl on his lap. Jamie managed to work her way out of his grasp and leap off his lap before he captured her firmly in his arms a moment later and began to lavish kisses all over her face.
…
"Now about you getting me out of this robe…"
With a hungrily passionate look in his eyes, Lucius swept Jamie up into his arms and carried her into the bedroom, where he placed her on the bed before climbing on top of her. As he leaned down to kiss Jamie, he slowly began undoing her robe and uniform so that he could remove the pesky pieces of clothing from her body. At the same time that Lucius was removing her clothes, Jamie was trying to return the favour. She wanted to feel him on her, in her, and his clothes were not helping. Jamie whimpered in frustration, as she had to fight with the buttons. Lucius chuckled at his wife's desire to see him naked but obvious difficulty in getting that to happen. Taking pity on his young wife, he rose from the bed and removed his clothes before returning to her side to finish removing what was left of hers.
It was not long before tears had soon joined Jamie's whimpers. "No…Oh Gods…please…make it stop….please make it stop…"
Jamie was picking herself up off the floor and trying to dust herself off, but she looked to be in some pain as they noticed a slight wince when she brushed off her robes around her ribcage.
"Can you get any more juvenile than that, Draco? My Gods, how old are you because you certainly don't act like a sixteen year old Malfoy ought to," Jamie snarled, wincing as she placed her left arm across her ribs.
…
"Feels like a set of rings to me. On your left ring finger as well," Draco hissed.
Jamie paled and yanked her arm away from Draco, causing another sharp pain to hit her as a collective gasp spread throughout the room. The spell hiding her rings from view had broken, allowing everyone in the room to finally see the rings Lucius had given to her. Jamie refused to respond to Draco's comments, instead just glaring at him as she wrapped her arm back around her ribcage.
"Fine, Draco, you want the truth. I'll tell you the truth. Yes, I am married to your father, and you know what? He's ten times the man you are or ever will…" Jamie's words were cut off as Draco hit her across the face, sending her to the floor.
Jamie stayed on the floor longer this time, as her ribs had just taken a serious jolt, causing her to feel a stab of excruciating pain shoot through her body. "You know what, Draco? At least your father has never sunk so low as to hit me," Jamie snarled as she glared up at Draco.
"Jyn?" Isáwien said softly as she knelt down next to her. "Draco how could you?" she asked, looking up at him.
"She's been playing me the fool for months and you side with her? Not that I'm actually all that surprised. You always side with her," Draco sneered at his Aunt.
"Why the hell would you go and marry Lucius Malfoy of all people, Jamie? Draco loves you and you just toss him aside. What did Malfoy do to you to make you marry him?" Harry demanded.
"For your information, Harry, and you, Draco, I married Lucius of my own free will. No spells, nothing. Lucius offered me the one thing that no one else here could."
"What was that?" Draco asked with disgust.
"The chance to be myself. To just be Jamie."
"And you can't be yourself with us?" Harry demanded.
"Tell me, Harry, how many times have you ever just wanted to be known as Harry and not the Boy-Who-Lived? My life was thrown into a tailspin this past summer and since then my life has been anything but happy. Lucius offered me the chance to be happy," Jamie finished with another wince, as the pain in her ribs seemed to increase.
"Jyn?" Isáwien asked concerned. "What hurts?"
"My ribs, I think some of them cracked when I hit the desk and then they got jarred when I hit the floor. The pain seems to be increasing and it's getting harder to breathe."
"Quit pretending, Jamie, you're just trying to get out of answering our questions. How long have you been shagging my father? And for that matter, how the hell have you been doing it? As far as I know, he's locked up somewhere in the castle but nobody knows where."
"I know where he is, but nobody else is supposed to," replied Harry. "What I'd like to know is how she managed to get inside the room. I had the portrait changed to the one of the snake from the common room and set the password in parseltongue so that nobody but I could open the door."
"Besides that, you were supposed to have been staying in Isáwien's extra chamber every night," Severus added.
"I'm not pretending, you prat," Jamie snarled in pain. "The amount of time I've been with Lucius is none of your business and I don't think you really want to know all the details about how we've been doing it. Do you think I would actually tell you I was still seeing a man that you had locked away like a common criminal after Albus said that he was welcome to stay? This just proves my point. None of you truly care about what I want. You just want me to be the good little girl you all think I should…" Jamie never finished her statement as the pain became too great and she passed out, Isáwien just barely managing to break her fall.
"Jamie…Love…talk to me…what's going on? What's wrong?" Draco asked reaching out to take Jamie into his arms, the concern in his voice becoming more evident the longer Jamie stayed in her current state.
"Get away from me! Don't touch me!" Jamie cried in anguish pushing Draco away from her.
Isáwien watched in silence as Jamie was hit by what she knew had to be memories, her hand rising to her mouth to stifle the cry when Jamie sank to her knees after only a minute. /-/Oh Gods Lucius, I'll never forgive myself for this,/-/ she whispered as she heard Jamie's cries. Fighting her own tears she watched as the mere minutes passed until Draco tried to reach out to her. Taking a breath she watched with a heavy heart, not knowing if she should go to Jamie or not. /-/Baby girl?/-/ she whispered softly giving Jamie the choice.
Draco, either believing Jamie did not mean it or choosing to believe that she did not mean what she had just said, once again tried to pull her close. "Jamie, Love, it's alright. Come on let's get you away from here…"
"What part of 'don't touch me' don't you get Draco," Jamie ground out as she pushed him away again as she tried to rise unsuccessfully to her feet. "Please just leave me alone," Jamie cried quietly as she seemed to collapse in on herself even more. "Please just make it stop…make them stop…make them go away…Isá please just make them go away…"
Isáwien did not need anymore prodding as she rushed over to Jamie and knelt down next to her. "It's okay baby girl. They're going," she promised looking up at Kaira and Bella who both nodded and left, then Abby who backed away but stayed nearby in case she was needed. "Come on, let's get you someplace quiet," she whispered softly.
"Back off Is," Draco growled as Isáwien helped a shaky Jamie to her feet. "Jamie is coming with me and we're leaving this school as well as…"
/-/Draco SHUT UP!/-/ Isáwien growled mentally blocking Jamie. /-/She's in no condition to go anywhere at this moment. And in case you didn't notice she just told you not to touch her. Now don't start this argument in front of her. She's already been through enough in the last year. She DOES NOT need to see you and I get into a knock down fight in the middle of Hogwarts, because so help me I will. You may be of age, but I am still head of our family and I am ordering you to back off. She is not your wife, nor is she legally any of your concern. And at the moment she needs to obviously calm down. So just back off!/-/
/-/Is that a threat Is?/-/ Draco growled.
"Isá? Isá I don't…don't feel too good," Jamie commented quietly as her knees started giving out on her.
/-/This is far from over my darling Aunt,/-/ Draco threatened before turning and storming out of the castle as Isáwien helped Jamie up the stairs and away from the gathered students.
"Okay Sweetie. Let's get you upstairs," Isáwien replied softly, ignoring her nephew's response.
Minutes later they arrived at the familiar quarters where they had spent so much time over the years, and Isáwien helped Jamie to the spare bedroom.
"Thank you," Jamie said as Isáwien helped her over to the bed.
"No problem baby girl," she replied softly. "You'll feel better after you've rested. You're mind has taken a lot."
"You're telling me," Jamie commented as she rubbed her forehead. "Do you remember a few months ago down by the lake when I had those memories come back while I was talking with Bella and Kaira and how I seemed to hit that brick wall in my head?"
"Yeah?" Isáwien replied wondering where this was going
"I feel like I've just gone through that wall head first. I don't get it Isá…I don't know where they came from…they just…came out of nowhere…"
Isáwien sighed softly, already knowing the answer to her own question. But on the other hand, if she did not ask, Jamie may start to wonder. "What do you mean?"
"Well…it's just…every other memory had some sort of trigger…whether it be a time like Christmas or…or a place like Fluffy's room or…or that room behind Abraxas' portrait," Jamie said as she started to pace the floor shakily. "But these…Isá I was walking out the castle doors and what I saw…what I saw had nothing to do with the Entrance Hall. I mean one of the rooms was what looked like a classroom but the other room…Isá, I don't know that room. I've never seen it before…well obviously I have since I was in there but I don't know which one it is but I was there with Lucius so I must have been there at some point when we were together but I really don't know where it could possibly be…"
"It's here," Isáwien whispered softly.
"…I mean I'm so confused. I mean how could I have been in a room with Lucius and not know where it is? I'm just…" Jamie stopped mid-pace as Isáwien's words finally sunk in. "It's here? What's here?"
"The room...it's here in the castle," Isáwien explained her voice still annoyingly lower than normal.
"That room…the room from the visions is here? In Hogwarts? How? Where? Oh Gods…I don't know how much more of this I can take," Jamie said collapsing onto the bed, her head in her hands.
"Sweetie breathe, just breathe," Isáwien began. "I'm going to tell you as much as I can. So you have the option of going to the room when you're ready." /-/I only pray this never gets back to Draco,/-/ Isáwien thought before pushing her fear back down, making sure Jamie could not sense any of her thoughts or emotions.
Jamie nodded in understanding, not trusting her voice at the moment.
"On the north side of the fourth floor, behind a portrait of a very rude snake in my opinion. Though you and Lucius seemed to get along with the snake well enough," Isáwien began slowly.
"A Snake portrait? I didn't think Hogwarts had any snake portraits," Jamie interrupted quietly.
"There's only one. For most of the school's history it resided in the Slytherin Common Room. That's why you don't remember it yet. But after you, Lucius, and Narcissa were brought to Hogwarts; Severus and Harry forced Albus into breaking a promise he made to you. And they had the portrait moved to the fourth floor and placed in front of a room which became Lucius' prison for a month, maybe a bit more."
"His promise of sanctuary for Lucius," Jamie said quietly, not even really realizing what she was saying.
"You remember after all."
"What?" Jamie asked in confusion. "I remember what?"
"Jyn girl, we have to work on you remembering what you say,'" Isáwien smiled softly. "You just said 'His promise of sanctuary for Lucius'."
"I did? Oh. I don't even realize what I'm saying half the time," Jamie commented. "Wait a minute," Jamie closed her eyes as she tried to recall one of the memories from moments earlier. "You said that Lucius was imprisoned in the …Harry," Jamie practically growled her brother's name.
"Seems I don't need to tell you everything," Isáwien replied with a smile. /-/Harry and Severus are going to kill me,/-/ she mentally groaned. /-/But, then again it's their own bloody fault./-/
"I only know it was Harry because of one of the memories that was forced upon me. I still don't understand how that happened. It felt…it felt like someone was manipulating what I was seeing."
"Yeah," Isáwien agreed softly. "The room behind the portrait is under password guard. Only you and Lucius knew the password. You changed it after you found the room." she explained.
"But…if Lucius was put there to keep him from me how could I have managed to change the password? It doesn't make sense. I mean if it was done without Albus' consent then he obviously wouldn't have known the password which means that only those that put him there would and since I'm the one they wanted to keep him away from it's not likely they would willingly tell me the password and I don't think I would torture it out of them. I'm not that type of person."
"It was done in parseltongue. The only person here that can speak parseltongue besides you and Lucius was Harry. He set the password. By the time we were talking again due to my rather unfortunate timing that put us in a bit of an out period for a day or two, you already had changed the password. My guess would be you knew your brother well enough to figure out the password, and told the Snake that Harry had sent you."
"Oh…I guess that makes sense…wait a minute…I'm a parselmouth? But...How…" Jamie groaned as she collapsed onto her back on the bed. "Too much…it's just too much…"
"I know. And I'll stop now. But being a parselmouth isn't a bad thing. And if you ever want to go to the room, something tells me you'll remember the password when you're ready," Isáwien replied softly. "But get some rest baby girl," she began summoning a familiar vial. "A drop of this in your tea or water will help with the head pains."
"Thanks Isá," Jamie said accepting the vial from her friend as she pulled herself back into a sitting position. Letting two drops fall into the glass of water beside the bed, Jamie drank the water and lay back down on the bed.
"I'll talk to you later Sweetie."
"Mmm hmmm," was Jamie's simple reply.
Isáwien nodded softly and stood up, leaving the room quietly. Walking over to the couch she wearily sunk into it and let her head fall on her hands as she tried to figure out what the hell happened now.
/-/Isáwien…/-/
/-/Not now Lucius,/-/ Isáwien replied. "Please not now," she whispered as she ran her hands through her hair.
/-/Not now?/-/ Lucius snarled in disbelief. /-/Oh I think now is the perfect time. We need to talk and this is not something that can simply be put off that is unless you have a desire to join your late husband./-/
/-/You promise?/-/
/-/Oh that's a promise all right sister dear. The longer you put me off the more likely I'll be to strangle you the minute I lay eyes on you. Do you really want to do that to Jamie? You know she'll blame herself for your death./-/
/-/At the moment that's the only thing keeping me from breaking a promise I've yet to break since Tom's death,/-/ Isáwien sighed as she stood up. /-/Where are you?/-/ she asked giving up.
/-/My former prison./-/
Isáwien quickly made her way to the familiar portrait, glancing at the Snake with mild annoyance. She did not have the energy in her to give it the usual glare. /-/Knock, knock/-/ she called softly.
Lucius walked over to the portrait and swung it open to allow his sister entry. "Would you like to explain to me exactly why you had me force my way into Jamie's mind earlier?"
"Because she can't leave England, and we had to make sure that Draco wouldn't take her out of England," Isáwien replied softly as she walked across the room.
"Wait a minute…leave England? Why in the world would she want to leave England? This is where her friends and family are? Plus I thought my son was too addicted to his work to ever leave England," Lucius asked in confusion.
"I don't know Lucius. All I know is Draco informed me they were leaving England and Jyn didn't do anything to correct him. And he had no intention of bringing her back."
"Why that no good…Gods be damned…son of a…" ranted Lucius as he paced across the room before slumping into the chair opposite his sister in front of the fireplace. "How is she?" he asked quietly.
"She's not doing good Lucius. She didn't handle seeing those things as well as any of us could have even prayed she might."
"I didn't expect she would, given the way she was forced to remember. You didn't give me much time so I just started pulling what I hoped were positive memories at random. I didn't even know what I was forcing to come forward until…until she was forced to remember them," Lucius commented quietly. "Gods, I hated doing that to her…"
"I hated myself for making you."
"You realize she may never forgive either one of us when she learns of this. I only hope that it doesn't do too much damage to her already fragile psyche. I don't know how much longer I can simply stand by and do nothing Isáwien."
I hate to be the one to point out the obvious here Lucius. But how is she going to find out that this was not just some strange psychological phenomenon. Don't get me wrong I don't like lying to her anymore than the rest of our strange group other than Draco. But I am certainly not going to confess to this in the next twenty-four hours. I'm honest enough to admit that this is the one time that I cannot fess up to what I've done. And I know what you are going through. But you have to stay hidden Lucius. She's not ready to see you."
"I was not implying that I was going to be revealing myself to her anytime soon Isáwien. I think it's probably best for everyone concerned if I just went back to watching her from a distance with absolutely no contact whatsoever. I've caused her too much pain already as it is. I can't stand the thought of causing her anymore."
"That might be a good idea and all Lucius. But we have to figure out how the heck it is that we're going to eventually get the two of you together again."
"You still think that's a good idea even after everything that's happened to her recently? I honestly don't know Isáwien. How do we know this won't just blow up in our faces? How do we know that Jamie will even want to take me back?"
"Because six months ago she was telling me how much she missed you. How she really wasn't living with you gone. Just because she doesn't remember it now, doesn't mean she won't remember or feel the same way when she does remember. I know Jamie. And if I know anything in this world, it's that the two of you are meant to be together."
"I want to believe you Isáwien, I really do but I still don't understand. I mean she was leaving with Draco of her own accord. It's obvious where her loyalty lies now. Why was it so vitally important that I practically mind rape her to keep her here only to have to remain hidden from her."
"Lucius there are things I just can't tell you now. I don't want to bring anyone else into this insane world that is my mind where the Fates run free tormenting me with the different possibilities of what may happen. All I can tell you is that it is vitally important that Jyn not leave England. No matter how angry she is at us. She needs to be in England or Scotland where we can at least be in contact. Just in case..."
"This is making the kind of sense that's…not Isáwien and right now I don't think my brain is functioning on the level required to figure out everything that's happening. Breaking into Jamie's mind was not altogether easy. It's not like when you let me in all those years ago…"
"Yeah, and that was far from easy anyway," Isáwien replied with a humourless smirk. "It's never going to make sense Lucius. What I demanded of you was wrong and not in my right to demand. But I did it anyway. Hell, I didn't demand, I ordered. And I don't expect you or Jamie to ever forgive me. I know I won't be able to forgive myself in this life. For once I'm starting to understand why the Malfoys are the way they are, at least those that are forced to lead the family. And if you don't want the job back, don't worry about it. I wouldn't blame you for just taking Jyn and running once you two do work things out."
"Maybe now you understand some of the things I was forced to do over the years. What I don't understand is how Draco was able to manipulate things so effectively at the Manor after that Weasley brat did what he did. There is no way he should have been able to take away Jamie's authority as Mistress of the Manor, even with the memory loss. I saw to it that he had absolutely no say whatsoever in regards to anything having to do with the Manor or Malfoy affairs. I left that all to you and Jamie," Lucius commented in confusion.
"The Family," Isáwien replied simply
"The family," Lucius repeated disbelief evident in his voice. "How in the bloody hell was the family involved. They're all dead if I recall correctly, with the exception of you, me, Jamie and my idiotic son."
"They may be dead brother dear. But they do live on in their portraits," Isáwien pointed out softly. "Draco convinced them to help him. He set up wards that kept her from entering parts of the Manor. The Family would keep him informed if she did and such. I talked to them Christmas Day and convinced them to no longer go along with Draco. They were going along with him because in their mind Jyn didn't deserve to be Mistress of the Manor due to her upbringing. But they have realized the idiocy of their thinking and have realized her upbringing doesn't compare to her being your wife and Tom's dark princess. They helped me remove the wards and are now completely on our side."
"Let me guess, it was because she was a Potter? Don't even bother answering that, I already know the answer. Believe me the last thing I ever intended when I first brought her to the Manor was to end up with her as my wife. She was my prize to do with as I pleased, nothing more but…something happened that first night, something I never expected…"
"You don't need to explain things to me Lucius. I know how much someone can change you when you least expect it," Isáwien replied with a soft smile. "I have a question for you. Seeing as you knew Tom longer then I did. And yes, I know I'm changing the subject," she continued with a smirk.
Raising an inquiring eyebrow, he asked, "What is it you want to know Isáwien?"
Sighing softly Isáwien looked away as she stood up and walked towards the fireplace. "I asked Severus to marry me. He thought I was joking and told me such. But he's obviously been talking to someone as Draco knew too much about Christmas Day..." she trailed off for a moment. "I wasn't though. Joking that is. I've already lost my husband; I can't bear to lose Severus as well. But at the same time, what about Tom? Can he forgive me for marrying someone else?"
"That's not exactly the easiest question to answer Isáwien, especially given the fact that Tom was not always the easiest person to understand. You did the same for him as Jamie did for me. He was the happiest when he was with you. I believe he would want you to be happy, Isáwien. I don't know how he'd feel about Snape being the one to truly make you happy but I don't think he'd disapprove. All he would want, all he ever wanted was to make you happy and if Snape makes you happy then I think he would be happy for you."
"Thanks. Now if only I could convince my heart of that as well," she replied with a half smile. "You know if nothing else, if you guys haven't gotten things figured out by the time I drag Severus down the aisle, we can always have you and Jyn renew your vows and bonding. No one can argue if they see you survive a bonding ceremony."
"Sounds intriguing sister dear, I would definitely love to see the look on everyone's faces when they realize that Jamie and I were meant to be when we survive the bonding for a second time. Has that ever even been attempted? I wonder what would happen if we do?" Lucius mused.
"A bonding a second time? You two? I think it would be nothing different then the first. But unlike you brave souls; I'm not about to go through a second bonding. I know all too well the odds of living through two bondings with two different men. Lifebond or not."
"Chicken," Lucius teased.
"Yeah well, I intend to stay chicken. I have to relive the unbinding ever year not to mention whenever I dream about that night. And I already have the little curse that the Fates placed on Severus and I. One curse per husband is enough thank you very much. I do not want to have to suffer a second unbinding just to die forty-eight hours later. So if that makes me Chicken, then hey, I'll start clucking in my sleep," she finished with a grin.
Lucius could not keep the smile off his face at the image his sister had just conjured. "I pity Snape in that case."
Isáwien laughed softly. "I think he'd rather have me clucking than deal with my unbinding nights or Desi, Ciara's, and Jyn's night time visits. I don't know who was more pissed that night. Though I suspect the answer would be me. Bloody annoying girl knew better than to barge into my bedroom at two in the morning."
"And what precisely was my darling wife and two first year student's doing in your room in the middle of the night?" Lucius asked curiously.
"Halloween, Jyn was hit with the memory of the night in the Chamber. She woke Desi and Cia, and Desi heard Jyn say my name, just as Draco did so long ago. Des dragged Jyn up to my chambers and left her and Cia in my main room while she came walking into my bedroom. Woke Severus and I up with her scream, which made Jyn and Cia come running in. It was quite the interesting night getting my bloody stepdaughter to go to bed. Thank god Ciara is nothing like her father and went without question, and then we had to explain to Jyn why her father was sleeping in bed with me. And at the same time we had to get her to talk about what happened. I swear I didn't know who to kill that night, Draco, his daughter, or Desi," Isáwien rolled her eyes in memory.
"Wait a minute Isáwien; did you just say 'his daughter'? Since when does Draco have a daughter old enough to attend Hogwarts? As far as I know, he's only ever been with Jamie? That is if they're even sleeping together and if they are then they haven't been together long enough to have a child old enough to attend Hogwarts. Besides it's impossible for Jamie to have any children with anybody, let alone that good for nothing son of mine," Lucius growled.
"Umm Lucius calm down for a moment," Isáwien began. "I'll explain everything. Draco has a daughter because Ciara's mother, Fleur Weasley, who you might remember better as Fleur Delacour, decided to use a time turner during the third task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. But, unfortunately Fleur was not the best at using a time turner and ended up going to far forward in time and ended up arriving in the early period of the school year Draco's seventh year. He and Fleur met, hit it off and as Ciara puts it…instant Cia. At the time he and Jyn weren't together, it was before Christmas and everything," Isáwien paused to see if Lucius was still with her.
"Go on," instructed Lucius, a murderous look in his eyes.
"Draco helped Fleur with the time turner, not knowing she was pregnant, just knowing that she needed to get back. But as we both know, Dra isn't any better with Time turners. So once more she over-shot and just her luck she ended up in 1992. And the time turner decided enough was enough and called it quits on her. According to Fleur, she caught the train back to her hometown. She got a cottage outside town and wrote her younger self. Took some convincing but she managed to convince herself that 'Hey, I'm you from the future and I'm stuck here. I need you to get a time turner and figure out how to get us back to 1994'. But while she was waiting for her younger self to get the time turner, she found out she was pregnant." Taking a breath Isáwien continued as she walked around the room. "So she contacted her younger self and let her know about the latest detail, and they figured out that it might not be the best idea for her to time hop again while pregnant. Once was bad enough. So she waited until Cia was born. By then Younger Fleur had gotten the Time Turner and found out the right coordinates, so they made a trade off. Fleur left Cia in the front room and hid in a back room before her younger self came in. Her younger self came, took Cia and left the turner and papers. Fleur used the turner, got back the same day she had originally left, and finished the tournament. After the tournament she met Bill Weasley and they fell in love at first sight. He met Cia, and Fleur explained everything to him after they started dating. He was the one who convinced her to tell Draco about Cia. But of course she couldn't tell Draco until after the time she had met him in the future. So he didn't learn until after Christmas his seventh year. By then Bill and Fleur were married, as you know. And Draco chose to keep it silent. Why I don't know, but he did. I found out when I was getting ready for the sorting ceremony this year. But I found out all the details from Fleur when we got together one weekend to talk," Isáwien finished with a slight shrug. "And Lucius do stop glaring at me with that look. It's quite disconcerting."
"Did Draco ever bother to tell Jamie about his daughter?" Lucius demanded.
"Err."
"I'll take that as a no," he snarled as he rose from his chair and stalked over to the fireplace. "I'm guessing it didn't go over too well with Jamie when she discovered that the girl in question was her 'boyfriend's' daughter. I know Jamie well enough to know that it wouldn't take much beyond hearing the girl's last name for her to put two and two together. I mean she knows of your situation with the Parkinsons and her own situation as well as the fact that I never had any children other than Draco."
"Yeah, pretty much that's how long it took. She had her first experience with her emotions affecting her powers when she figured it out."
"How much of the Great Hall did she destroy this time?" Lucius asked a humorous glint in his eyes.
"By the time the night was over... just every glass. But it shocked the hell out of her," Isáwien replied with a soft smile. "She's doing a lot better now though."
"That's good," he replied, a hint of sadness entering his voice as he turned to face into the flames, trying to hide his face from his sister's gaze.
/-/What's wrong Lucius?/-/ Isáwien called mentally. /-/I've unloaded my shit on you; you know you can unload on me. What are siblings for?/-/
"It's just…it's killing me Isáwien. She's so close and yet she's miles away. I don't deserve someone like Jamie in my life. I've done nothing but torment the poor girl. The night that…that the two of you fought…the pain that I felt coming off of her when she dropped her guards…I don't know how she's managed to live with that kind of pain for so long and to know that I'm the cause of it...What right do I have to ask her for forgiveness…forgiveness that I don't deserve."
"Maybe we don't have rights. But it's not our place to decide Lucius. It's her forgiveness to give. You have to give her the chance to give it."
Lucius merely nodded, not really trusting his voice. /-/Good night Isáwien,/-/ he sent through their link.
/-/Good night Lucius,/-/ Isáwien replied before making her way out of the room and to her own chambers.
