Disclaimer: Not mine.
Rebirth
Chapter 9
Vince started pacing as soon as Helen and Lucy left the next morning. He wanted to use a glamour himself, leaving Lucy here in the relative safety of the house. Tom had argued through the floo that it was best for him to stay put, that the Alley would be so busy that the chance that a Death Eater would try anything was slim.
Vincent now paced and fumed knowing he never should have given in. He should have demanded that he go in Lucy's stead. A Death Eater would see the bustling streets as a diversion, noise to cover their cracks of apparation and laugher to cover muffled screams for help from tiny back rooms and underground cellars.
He went down on his knees and throwing in powder called the Ministry hoping to talk to Arthur. He was transferred twice before a younger version of Arthur popped his head into the fire at the other end.
"Percy?" Vincent questioned knowing that he too worked at the Ministry.
"No Crabbe." Ronald smirked. "I heard you made it but I didn't believe it until Dad said he had seen you."
"Ron? Gee, you look, you look different." Crabbe looked at him hard, and then remembered his own change and the scars that would still show even in the fire of the floo.
"Yeah, I guess we all do, but Bloody Hell man, you look like shite," Ron said, staring at the scars that ran down the left side of Vincent's face.
"Yeah, well thanks, I guess, but listen Ron, I need to talk to your Dad."
"He said if you tried to contact him I was to tell you that they are being watched and that he has six Aurors on it." Ronald frowned. "Crabbe, what's going on? He went with them and it's not like my Dad to work the field."
"It's a long story, maybe some time…, listen thanks, I just don't know how safe it is to be talking over the floo."
"Crabbe if anything happens to him, I will hold you…"
Vincent stood up and cut the connection. He felt bad enough about putting any one in danger and he did not want to listen to it from Ronald. He shook his head and walked to the kitchen. Maybe he could get Elsie out from the cupboard where she had sat crying since the witches left long enough to fix him some lunch.
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Helen had already fit at least two dozen wands to sweaty handed First Years and six Seventh Years that smugly told her what they wanted and walked off proud of their new wand that did not fit their hand and would not help them in the least.
She handed the wand she had just fit to a small giggling First Year with red pigtails to Lucy to wrap and bill, as she looked up to the next customer and saw a pair of grey blue eyes looking back at her.
"Miss Dolohov I believe." The wizard nodded and looked down his nose at her.
"Mr Malfoy." She returned the greeting coldly, meeting his eyes.
"I have been meaning to come in and congratulate you on your recent purchase and business endeavour."
"Thank you Mr. Malfoy, I am sure you have more important things to do." She took a step closer to Lucy who had pulled her wand and held it loosely in her hand under the counter.
"I would like to invite you for dinner. As the daughter of an old friend of mine I would be remiss in not making sure you meet the right people." He smirked at her. "I have heard of your recent acquaintance with Mr Crabbe, and I can assure you that there are many more of the, shall we say of the old school, that are much more interesting than Mr Crabbe."
"I am afraid I have been quite busy." She looked beyond Lucius's shoulder where Tom now stood just inside of the door, his hand in the folds of his robes where she knew he held his wand. "I must decline you kind invitation until I am free."
"Ah, but my dear, if you do not find the time there could be unpleasant repercussions."
"Are you threatening me Mr Malfoy?" She voice caught in her throat as she tried to keep her voice level.
"Oh my dear, of course not. However, the Alley is known for accidents and there are still rouge Death Eaters that may not take kindly to your presence." He causally looked at his silver of his walking stick, twisting it slowly in front of him.
"I will be more careful." She watched him as he stepped closer, and held her breath as he took up her hand to bring it to his lips. He stopped just short of kissing it, before lowering it and only nodding to her. Then turning on his heel, with his cape fanning behind him he left.
Helen looked at Lucy and tried to smile, then felt her knees want to turn to water. Sitting down heavily on the second rung of the ladder, she took gulping breaths to still her nerves. She looked to the door and saw Tom watching her, knowing he was unable to talk to her without giving away his position he slowly opened the door and stepped out to the pavement.
Lucy ran to the door and flipped the sign to closed, then attached the Out for Lunch under it warded the door closed and hurried over to Helen.
"Wow, I thought I was going to lose it and he didn't even talk to me." Lucy squatted down in front of Helen. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah, I think so. He really didn't do anything." Helen worried her lip and looked at the door. "If we hadn't been told that he was possibly behind this I guess he could be seem and rather charming. Well, right up to the time he told me that there were a lot of accidents around here."
Lucy smiled weakly as she stood up and looked at the door. "Do you want to go to lunch? We could head down to the Leaky Cauldron or raid your kitchen."
"I don't think I would trust any thing in my kitchen right now. Make sure you have your wand ready and let's walk down to the Cauldron."
They left the shop locking and warding the door behind them and linked arms for the short walk down the pavement. Neither noticed Arthur in the shadows across the road, or Marcus who was paging through a book at one of the outside stalls. Helen saw Tom's back ahead of them and knew he would be the one serving them their meal. She sighed and held on to Lucy a little tighter as they went.
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There were more First Years to fit with a wand that afternoon. One was so close to being a squib that Helen almost lost patience finding one suitable for his hand until she climbed up on the ladder for what must have been the fourteenth time muttering under her breath when she heard a sniff. She looked down to see the boy run his sleeve across his eyes and his mother bite her lip and ruffle his hair.
"Here it is," she said brightly as she came down and handed him a wand. "This is the type of wand you need for your special kind of magic."
"Special?" His eyes grew large and he wiped his nose with his sleeve again.
"Yup, special magic. Not many up at that school have special magic." She nodded knowingly.
"What kind of Special?" He asked wanting to believe so badly he pulled away from his mothers hand that rested on his shoulder and came closer to her. "Good special or bad special?"
"Ah." She squatted down in front of him to reach out and tap his forehead. "The kind of magic that you make in there."
"My Grandpa said that."
"So, there you have it then." She stood up and looked down at him. "Now this wand is an 8 ¾ inch yew with a core of ash that was taken from the flame of a Phoenix. It is a special wand and not to be mistreated. It will increase you magic if you use it right. Just don't over use it to show off or practice too much."
He nodded solemnly at her and took the wand, holding it in both hands. She smiled down at him and gave Lucy the bill to charge to the proper account as she saw the mother smile and nod at her as she ushered the child from the shop.
"Miss Dolohov?" She turned around quickly seeing the second pair of grey blue eyes she had seen that day.
"How did you get in here?" she hissed. "The back was warded. What do you want?"
He raised his wand and flicked the sign to closed as he threw up wards. He looked at Lucy and nodded to the door.
"Leave." He sneered to her. "This does not concern you. Tell Arthur Weasley to back off. Miss Dolohov and I need to talk.
"You must be Lucius's son." She took a step back. "Its fine Lucy, leave tell Arthur what is happening."
Lucy stood and slowly walked backward to the door. "You sure Helen?"
"I said to leave," Draco sneered.
Lucy heard the wards fall behind her. Looking at Helen, she hesitated, looking at Draco and fingering her wand.
"I wouldn't try it," he said. "If you both want to walk out of here would suggest you do as I say."
Lucy nodded and backed up to the door, reaching behind her back and finding the handle she pushed the door open and stepped out on the pavement. The door slammed shut and she heard the wards go back up.
"Well Miss Dolohov, now that we are alone perhaps we can settle this. Please sit." He indicated the stool behind the counter that Lucy had been sitting on.
"I think I prefer to stand Mr. Malfoy."
"Draco, please no need to be formal." Draco walked to the dirty glass window and looked out to the Alley. "Where is Crabbe? Didn't he bother to come with you today?"
"Mr Crabbe does not work here."
"I know that, I thought he would be one of your so called protectors. I need to talk to him."
"About what?"
"A common problem we may share."
"Problem?"
"Tell him I need the Journal. He will know what I mean."
"He doesn't have it any more."
"Then he needs to get it damn it." Draco leaned forward and slammed his hand on the counter. "Listen, tell him I have the key."
"What key?"
"Just tell him that. Tell him I have the key and I need to see him."
"I don't know if I will be…"
"Cut the shite Miss Dolohov. You and some other bint are staying with him."
Helen felt as if the air had been sucked out of her lungs. She fought to breathe, looking quickly at the door and knew that she would not be able to break the wards and make it outside.
"I mean you no harm, tell him that, something is happening and I need to see him."
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Later that night as the three of them along with Tom and Arthur sat in the sitting room they tried to figure out what Draco was up to. Vincent was not surprised that Draco knew the others were staying in the house with him. With or without the journal Draco would have monitored Vincent. They had too much of a past together, too much he knew, too much to protect, and too much of a curiosity about Crabbe.
"I just don't get it," Vincent said. "He never would have shown up after his father was there if they were in this together. Lucius would leave Helen to worry a few days before he went back. He would go back until she was scared, then he would make his move. It's how he works."
"I was scared," Helen let out a snort of laughter.
"But you stood up to him."
"You think Draco is working independent of his father?" Arthur asked leaning forward in his chair.
"Yeah, he said we have a common problem." Vincent was pacing in front of the fireplace. "He knows about the pensives and I know his father keeps them the same way my father did."
"Vincent, if he knows about the Journal and the rumour is already out about the pensives being spelled, why would he worry?" Arthur asked. "If his father dies and the pensives change to Draco we know about the spell, we wouldn't go after him even if we found the pensives and viewed them."
"We are missing something. Something that should be obvious." Tom offered looking between the others in the room. "We need to figure out what it is then set up a meeting with Draco."
