A/N: The chapters should be as long as the last from here on out, I decided to combine two chapters, like I did with chapter 8, so that I move the story along quicker. I'll let you decide who the chapter title refers to…

For the record school breaks suck. Luckily my kids went back yesterday so I'll be playing catch up this coming week. Let's all cross our fingers that I get time to type up more chapters.

I've received some reviews calling into question the speed of Ginny, Draco, and Blaise's friendship. Part of it was loneliness on each of their parts, true enough. The major factor was that Ginny didn't make any demands of the two of them. She saw what they were quite possibly capable of and didn't run screaming. Instead, she gave them both understanding and the chance to finally make a choice without having to explain it to their parents. In short, Ginny believed in both of them. Does that clear it up a bit?

Disclaimer: It's still not mine, and the chapter title isn't either, that would be Stone Sour.

Chapter Nine

Come what (ever) may

Molly slowly climbed the stairs after Arthur stormed out. She loved him, she truly did. But, enough was enough. He hadn't bothered to listen to anything she had to say, too riled up after Dumbledore's accusations. She'd give him time to settle down and remember what she'd explained to him when they'd become engaged. Oh, she knew most of his attitude was out of fear for Ginny's safety, but that didn't change the fact that he'd been all for her 'hospitalization'.

Grateful that she'd signed the papers quickly and snuck them into Charlie's cloak pocket, she stepped into Ginny's empty room. Good, they did the wise thing and got out of here.

Her eyes filled with tears when she spotted the neatly rolled parchment lying on the center of Ginny's pillow. Shaking, she sat and reached for the parchment. Mentally cussing her trembling hands, she unrolled it.

Mum,

I'm terribly sorry that we've caused so many problems for you. I didn't mean to, this was why I kept the visions a secret. I do hope you and Daddy don't row too long over me. I love you both too much to think you'll be at odds much more. Please remember how much you love each other, don't allow Dumbledore to come between you.

As you probably already guessed, the visions were how Draco and Blaise became my friends. I won't tell you what they were shown, just that you wouldn't wish that on Voldemort himself…it was that bad, Mum. That's how I know they will never become minions. Trust me on this, please.

Tell everyone that I love them even if I'm not there to say it.

I don't know how long we'll be gone, but don't worry over me. Draco, Blaise, and Ron know how to handle the visions. They won't let anything happen to me, Mum. I swear it. That isn't even factoring in the others. I'm as safe as you could make me.

He's is calling for us to hurry since we can hear you and Daddy yelling all the way up here. I have to go, I'm sorry I didn't get to hug you goodbye and thank you for being such a wonderful Mum.

See you soon,

Love you,

Ginny

Molly's hand flew to her mouth and she sobbed. She sounds so grown up already. They'll be fine, they have to be.

--dbgdbg—

Charlie grinned as they regained their footing. Being back on the reserve felt like coming home. He couldn't ever find a way to explain that to his parents though. It was just…something in the land…the air…just something about this place that settled him as he never had been before. He turned to the group behind him and snickered at their wide-eyed expressions.

"So what do you think?"

He followed Ginny's gaze to the castle that was half-way up the mountain. He had to admit that no matter how many times he saw it, it still awed him. It wasn't a fairie tale castle by any means, it was…formidable. With its alleged history, Castle Dracula couldn't be seen as anything but fearsome.

"It's bloody brilliant," Draco said as he turned to Ginny. "What do you say, Ginny?"

She grinned. "I want to explore everything!"

Charlie turned at the sound of Irina's low, husky laugh. "'Lo, Irina."

"Welcome to Drakken Reserve and the real Tepes Valley," Irina said, shooting him a wry smile. "I'm Irina Lugosi. Mr. Malfoy, that would be Julian, set us up to care for all breeds of dragons. Why don't we get you settled in at the castle first?"

"That sounds like a plan," Draco said with a nod for Irina.

Ron was still gaping at the sprawling complex and Charlie couldn't resist walking over to throw his arm over Ron's shoulders. "What do you think of it, Ronnikens?"

"Do we have to leave…ever? 'Cause, I already want to stay," Ron replied honestly, almost fervently.

Charlie and Irina chuckled. That was almost word for word what he'd said when he arrived. "Well, the war could go on for years…but Mum would have my head if I let you too close to any of the dragons."

Blaise cleared his throat. "Why don't we discuss this inside?"

Charlie led Ron down the well worn path between the buildings, pointing out different things along the way. It had been, at one time, the village that served the castle. Malfoy hadn't changed much, only adding dragon habitats on the outskirts, mountains, and forest and extra wards when the muggle tourists began flocking to the alleged Castle Dracula just over the mountain. Years ago the whole valley had been made unplottable, which was one of the reasons Julian Malfoy had been so interested in it when he'd inherited it from his grandfather. He grinned. The real explanation will come later; I'll just let them soak everything in right now. No sense in having a history lesson tonight.

He pointed to manor house off to the far left. "That's Drakken Institute. All your classes will be there unless you chose to continue Care of Magical Creatures. Here, of course, we concentrate on dragons."

Irina chuckled from behind him. "You'll have field trips all over the continent, as long as it remains safe to do so, to observe other creatures."

"Bloody hell, I like this more with every passing minute," Blaise interjected. "Who needs Hogwarts?"

"I'm taking it, for the field trips alone," Ginny called out cheerily.

"We go where you go," Draco teased her. "What's that off to the right?"

Charlie didn't need to look in order to answer the question; he knew this place like the back of his hand. "Kennels, Newfoundlands are big enough to keep the smaller dragons in line."

"Dogs?" Ginny called questioningly and he could swear he heard a lilt of longing buried beneath her genuine interest in her surroundings. "How in Merlin's name did you get dogs?"

"That would be my fault," Irina answered. "My grandfather took me to America when I was little. I fell in love with the breed and brought one back. With a couple of handy spells, they steer clear of the bigger dragons."

"Is that a Quidditch Pitch?" Fred called out giddily.

"A real one?" George added gleefully.

"We have to have some sort of down time," Irina explained with a light laugh. "You're free to use it anytime. We even have teams."

"Brilliant," all six young people chorused.

Charlie looked over his shoulder and shared a look with Irina that clearly said 'we made the right decision'. His nerves settled. The six of them would make the reserve home for as long as they were here.

This will work.

--dbgdbg—

Draco smiled at Blaise, over Ginny's head. She was nearly skipping, her previous melancholy was just about gone and they'd only been here a few minutes. He'd seen that look in her eyes when the dogs were mentioned and promised to see if there was any way to get her one.

"Draco?" she whispered. "Is this really all yours?"

He dropped his arm across her shoulders with a light shrug. "My great-grandfather didn't like my father's…allegiances. He told me, in whispers mind you, the story many times before he died. The way he set it up, Lucius and Narcissa can't touch it and as far as I know…they don't even know it exists."

"You know," Blaise said as he slid an arm around Ginny's waist. "If my memory is correct, I have a summer house not too far from here. I'd have to look at a map to be certain though."

"If you had this place, Draco, and you had a summer home, Blaise…then why did you come to the Burrow?" Fred asked, falling back to walk with them.

Draco wasn't about to answer that with total and complete honesty, since the answer was simply Ginny and Blaise. Instead he gave a secondary, if still completely true, reason. "Dumbledore insisted on it." When he saw Ginny frown, he hastily amended himself, "And Ginny wanted us to of course."

She smiled smugly. "My dictatorship still applies, gentlemen. A change of scenery didn't make it null and void."

Blaise snickered. "We had no doubt about that, pet."

Draco rolled his eyes and ignored the jealousy that flared. He wasn't comfortable with the realization that he wasn't only jealous of Blaise's attentions being focused on Ginny, but that neither of them was acting that way towards him. He finally realized that he wanted Blaise to look at him as he was looking at Ginny. Not to mention that he wanted Ginny to look at him as she was looking at Blaise.

He was confused. They're friends and nothing else. I have to stop this useless pining. Malfoy's don't pine, for Merlin's sake. I have to get over this! I can't ruin the first true friendships I have ever had.

Ginny tugged on his jumper and pointed off to the left. "Ooh look, puppies!"

He looked over to see at least a dozen black puppies playing with each other and smiled. "You want one, don't you?"

She shrugged and blushed lightly. "They're working animals, not pets."

"If you want one, ask for one," Blaise said reasonably. "I don't see them denying you."

"These are the newest litters," Irina called from behind them. "If you want one, pick one. We've enough working and in training as it is."

Ginny turned and Draco saw overwhelming joy mingled with disbelief. It struck him then how little she had been given. In the past, he would have made some scathing comment about being poor. When one didn't immediately come to mind, Draco realized just how far he'd come in such a short amount of time. Part of it, he reasoned, was actually living at the Burrow. It had showed him just how much happiness could be found with very little money. But, having money doesn't hurt either. No, money didn't hurt, but it only meant less worry. It was a stunning revelation, one he wasn't altogether comfortable with just yet. He wasn't about to play the 'poor little rich boy' card, but he did see that the Weasleys were happy, happier than he could remember ever being. Happy because they actually cared about one another, not the mandatory concern over their heirs…honest concern.

"Draco?"

He shook his head and smiled half-heartedly at Ginny, hoping to ease her concern. "Just lost in thought. Go, pick a puppy. You know you want to."

She turned to Irina. "Are you sure I can have one?"

Draco grinned when Irina nodded and Ginny raced off, obviously not needing to be told twice.

"I don't remember seeing her this happy before," Blaise said, moving close enough to whisper. "It makes me want to surprise her just to see that look in her eyes."

"I couldn't agree more, Blaise," he murmured, setting off after Ginny, feeling Blaise following. "I couldn't agree more."

--dbgdbg—

Ron watched Ginny running across the field with mixed emotions. He was happy that, for once, she was happy. And yet, he was upset that he had never seen her like this before. It made him feel like a failure. For years he'd been too wrapped up in what Harry was doing that he hadn't noticed his baby sister, his only sister, for who and what she was. Even the prospect of going to Hogwarts hadn't had her this excited.

All it had taken was escape from Britain and a puppy.

"Rather makes you feel like kicking yourself in the arse, doesn't it?"

He turned to see Fred and George watching Ginny sadly.

"It does. How was it we didn't see how sad she was all the time?"

"They did," George said, motioning towards Draco and Blaise as they joined Ginny and the puppies. "It took those two seeing what we didn't for any of us to truly see. How horrible is that?"

"Don't," Charlie said, as he and Irina joined them. "Ron, you saw over a year ago, didn't you?"

He sighed. "I saw that she was alone and I didn't like it. What I didn't see was how deep down sad she was. I should have seen it, damn it all. I saw how she accepted Harry's dismissal without batting an eyelash. I saw how she simply flourished once Draco and Blaise came into the picture. I should have seen it sooner."

"They're good for one another," Irina said knowingly.

"We know that," Ron sputtered.

She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "You are the blindest bunch of men I've ever seen."

Ron watched as she stalked off, her nose in the air. "What was that?"

Charlie smiled smugly. "Irina in a snit. Get used to seeing it. I advise apologizing and then running. It's not wise to cross her."

"But, what did she mean?" Fred said shortly.

Charlie shrugged. "I would say that she sees what those three, and apparently you three, don't as of yet."

Ron flushed as the insinuation sank in. "She's fourteen!"

"I was kissing girls at thirteen," George taunted. "I say more power to them."

The instinct to rush over and protect Ginny was strong, but Ron fought it. He knew she was far older on the inside than anyone her age should be. "B-but…"

Charlie glared. "They respect her, can't you see that?"

"Well, yes," Fred said reasonably. "I respected every girl I snogged too. That didn't mean I wasn't trying to get in her knickers."

Charlie held up a hand to stop all three of them. "They respect her too much to shag her just yet. I don't think they've even owned up to what is truly going on. I say it'll be months before they even admit that they fancy each other."

Ron pursed his lips and considered the situation. If Ginny wanted Draco and Blaise, he had to stand by her - big brother or not. His main concern was her age. She was too young, too sheltered, to know what she was getting into no matter the wisdom her visions brought her. He didn't even want to think of them shagging, the mere thought had his stomach turning. He rather felt that Ginny would never be old enough to shag. If she did, he most certainly didn't want to know about it either.

He was conflicted.

"You are in Romania," Charlie pointed out testily. "Marriage at thirteen is still common here. I'm not saying that is the way those three will go anytime soon, but…"

"Mum would have kneazles," Fred pointed out. "I say we watch and wait. Gin's no ordinary witch. She's special and we all know it."

"Of course she is, she's our baby sister," George interjected. "Now, I'm going to see if I can get a puppy. Leave off the three of them or I'll thrash you both. Ginny deserves to be happy, no matter what."

Ron sat down cross-legged and sighed. Bracing his chin in his hand, he watched as Fred joined the other four. He was startled when Charlie sat down next to him and said, "I know you must think I'm being too easy about all of this. I've just learned, what with watching my mates hang on to life when one of the dragons goes rogue, that life is short. Sometimes it's shorter than any of us want to think about. Wizarding kind can live to be nearly two hundred, but we're on the brink of war."

Ron sighed again, watching Ginny twirl around in circles with a puppy cradled to her chest. Her laughter was joined by Draco and Blaise's as she collapsed across their laps. "I know that, intellectually. It's actually putting it in perspective for real life that seems to be my problem."

"Answer this, have you ever heard either of those boys laugh like that?"

Ron thought back over the past five years at Hogwarts. He didn't actually remember seeing Blaise save for the sorting. As for Draco, that answer was easy. "No, I can't say that I've heard Draco being anything but malicious."

"I don't want to think what he has suffered at Lucius Malfoy's hands."

Ron winced. "I hadn't thought of that. The way Draco always acted…well as if he was spoiled rotten and treated like a pampered little prince."

"I wouldn't know and I'm not about to ask him, rest assured. I have a feeling that most of Draco's actions were an act."

Ron suddenly remembered the World Cup. "Umm, if I explained something to you, would you give me an honest assessment?"

"Of course."

Ron shifted, stretching out and leaning on his elbows. "When we were at the World Cup, you know during the riot. Well, Harry, Hermione, and I ran across Draco leaning against a tree watching the riot. He was nasty and mean…at the time I thought he was just being an arse."

"What changed?"

"He told Hermione that if she wanted everyone seeing her knickers to continue on the way we were going and if not, to go the opposite direction."

Charlie chuckled. "I think you know the answer already."

"He was warning us, wasn't he?"

"Lucius would have sent his son off to safety not wanting him to get caught up in the madness," Charlie conceded. "I would think that Draco had to make it sound good in case someone overheard. I can't imagine there was a lot of room for free thinking at Malfoy Manor."

Ron shuddered, recalling the veiled comments Draco had made in past weeks. Particularly, 'wouldn't you if Lucius Malfoy was your father and told you to'. Could it be that Draco had a nasty childhood? If so, then how had it affected him, truly deep-down affected him? Was there anything to say? Should he say anything? The whole situation confounded him. Sure, his mum liked to voice her displeasure loudly. But, she'd never made them feel unwanted. Even when she was whinging about one transgression or another, she made sure that you knew that she loved you unconditionally. He even figured out, when she'd been muttering about Draco and Blaise's hair and attempting to hide a wicked smile, that she was teasing most of the time. It was almost as if she liked pushing their buttons, seeing how flustered she could make them.

"I wouldn't advise asking about it," Charlie whispered as the other five walked towards them.

"He'd hex me," Ron whispered back, grinning at the sight of Ginny with her puppy.

"She's simply glowing with happiness," Charlie said, getting to his feet.

"Let's see what we can do about keeping it that way," Ron said clambering to his feet.

He realized that he meant it whole-heartedly, no matter what it entailed.

--dbgdbg—

"What will you name her?" Blaise reached over to pet the puppy in Ginny's arms. He just couldn't resist, they both looked adorable. Oh, not that again.

"Liberty. My dad brought home a book on goddesses a couple of years back. Liberty was the French goddess of freedom."

Draco laughed. "It certainly fits."

Blaise grinned at him before turning his attention back to the redhead skipping between them. She was cradling Liberty, whispering something to her. She was smiling, happy, and frankly he was amazed. He hung back a bit when Draco motioned for him to do so.

"I like her this way," Draco whispered, once Ginny was far enough ahead that even her ears couldn't catch what they were saying. "I thought she was giddy when we got here…"

"But, it's nothing compared to now," Blaise finished as they reached the base of the stairs leading up to the castle. He groaned. "It's going to be a long climb every day."

"Get on," Charlie called. "Trust me, you'll like this."

Ginny was grinning at them from the second step. "Hurry up! It's Castle Dracula after all. I can't wait to explore."

The twins and Charlie laughed. Ron just gaped at her.

"I didn't know you had such a macabre fascination with Vlad Tepes," Draco quipped, pushing him up to join Ginny.

She just rolled her eyes. "He wasn't any different than the other rulers of his time."

Blaise snickered. She was a constant surprise. He wouldn't have ever guessed that she would be so impatient to explore such a notorious place. He had been anticipating it since Irina told them just where they were, but Ginny…well he'd expected her to be hesitant. Especially with her visions. His eyes met Draco's over her head and he saw that he wasn't the only one concerned about that very thing. Draco mouthed 'we'll stick close, just in case.' Blaise couldn't have agreed more.

He nearly fell over when the stairs began to move, just like the ones leading to the Head's office at Hogwarts.

"What? How?" Fred sputtered.

"It's the same enchantment," Charlie explained as they slowly, but steadily, rose above the valley. "This is the real Tepes family castle. The ruins on the other side of this mountain are a diversion, built by Vlad himself."

"He was a wizard?" George asked.

Blaise nearly fell over laughing at Ginny's indignant huff as she spat, "Don't you two listen to anything I say to you?"

He laughed even harder, leaning on Draco, when Fred said, "I remember you talking about him, but not that he was a wizard!"

"How do you think this valley became unplottable?" Blaise drawled teasingly. "The Order of the Dragon wasn't just a group hell bent on destroying the Ottomans you know."

Draco snickered. "Are you two the only ones that haven't studied Vlad extensively?"

George shrugged, blushing lightly. "It's not like we read anything just to read it."

"We've been researching for years, for the shop. It didn't leave much time for anything else," Fred added testily, cradling his and George's puppy, Loki, close.

Blaise just smirked. "Sounds like you'll have to take a History of Magic class, gentlemen."

"Not funny," George said sullenly. "We agreed to go back and repeat our last year, didn't we? You don't have to go rubbing it in."

"No fighting," Ginny said primly. "We're here."

Blaise tipped his head back, way back, to see the entire castle towering above them. "It's nothing like I imagined."

It was beautiful, in an odd way. At least four stories of dark gray stone that had been smoothed by magic and time, surrounded by a high wall of the same stone. He was reminded of Draco's eyes when he was angry. Shaking his head to dismiss thoughts like that, Blaise narrowed his eyes when they reached the large wood doors which was where Irina had apparently disappeared off to. You could almost feel the magic radiating from them. That was when he saw the carvings and stepped forward before he realized what he was doing, running a finger over a protective rune.

"Vlad didn't leave anything to chance," Irina said as she joined him. "The entire place is covered in spells like the doors."

Blaise looked over at Draco, noting that he didn't look the least bit surprised by any of this. "What aren't you telling us, Draco?"

Draco sighed heavily. "I'll tell you the entire story tomorrow, alright? Right now, we should get inside and settle in."

Blaise just shrugged as he could see that implacable look on Draco's face. Whatever it was he had to tell them was big. That much was certain. Maybe settling in first was the wisest choice.

"That sounds wise," he said complacently. "We should find our rooms. It's been a long day."

Draco shot him a grateful look as the doors opened.

This is bound to be very interesting. Come whatever may, at least we've insured Ginny's safety. No one can get to her here. Not Potter, not Voldemort, not even Dumbledore.