HP New Marauders
Chapter10
Someone's hidden within
--
"Harry, thank Merlin you tore yourself away from Dani." Bastion sighed in relief when Harry appeared just outside the stall. "Moon and Midnight are stressed out about something and nothing we've done has even come close to calming them…" He slid open the heavy stall door.
"Easy, little brother, I'll see what I can do." Harry stepped into the stall and Night immediately came up to him.
"So is it nervous jitters or something else?" He stroked Night's muzzle instantly linking with him. The visual was clear as a bell in his head. Night was worried about Dani, as well as his mate and unborn foals. :Easy boy, Dani is gonna be fine. She just needs to stay in bed for few days. In fact she told me to watch over you, Moon, and your babies.: He spoke in soft gently soothing tones with his mind.
Moon though breathing heavily because of her discomfort walked over and nudged his arm with her muzzle.
:Yes, I'm telling you both the truth. Now let's focus on you and your little ones.: Harry linked with her as well and she went from concern for Dani to being focused on birthing her little ones.
"They'll be fine now." Harry led Moon back over to the soft bed of hay and she lay down. "Get ready you two, it'll happen quickly now."
"Uh, Grandpa? Uncle Hagrid? Xander? Harry?" Bastion looked around, but the three of them were standing outside the stall and Harry was stroking Night's muzzle.
"Don't worry Bastion. You don't need us. You'll do fine." Hagrid reassured him.
"She'll do all the work. You both are just there in case she needs a little help." Xander added.
"Bastion there's nothing to it, just be there in case she needs you." Paddy had all the confidence in the world that Bastion was a natural at this.
"The Quaffle is in your hands now Bastion and Moria. We're just observers unless we're needed." Harry was also staying out-of-the-way.
"You'll do great. I'm just here to film it for the family archives." Binky grinned at him.
Moria fed Moon some herbs to ease the foaling process. "That's a girl breathe with the pain." She crooned, as she knelt down in front of her to stroke her muzzle.
Moon snorted in pain, as she worked to bring her first foal into the world.
"That's it girl. He or she looks like they might take after their Da." Bastion stroked her side soothingly while keeping an eye on her progress. "Aye, looks like trouble Night, perhaps a replica of you."
Night's ears shot up and he nickered with excitement.
Harry walked over to check her progress and grinned. "Yep, this first one is gonna be like his Da." He watched as Moon delivered the first foal, a black as midnight colt with a shocking white mane, tail, and four white socks.
"He's got himself one handsome looking son." Hagrid grinned at Paddy.
"Aye, that he does, Hagrid." Paddy agreed.
"And Night isn't wasting any time tending to him." Xander was pleased to see that Night easily took to tending to his son.
"Good news, girl, this one looks to be the near image of her Mam." Bastion watched as the white as snow filly, with a jet-black mane, tail, and four black socks, came into the world and then was immediately tended to by her mother.
"Binky did you get all that?" Moria excitedly asked her best friend.
"Have I ever let you down?" Binky had set up cameras all around the stall, so they had footage of every angle. "Trust me Mori I got it."
"This is exactly why Fred and George are willing to do anything to convince you to join their team, as it is Trista and Katie are both due anytime now." Harry chuckled when he spotted Daisy curled in a corner her eyes wide with wonder. "Daisy's here which means that Dani sent her to make sure that she got back with a full report as well."
"Daisy's in a curious phase." Xander went to check on Moon.
"Life is a miraculous puzzle. She's got a right to be curious." Merlin appeared in the stall and scooped Daisy up into his arms.
"Where did you go off to?" Harry arched a brow at him.
"The isle to fill your parent's in on what was happening." Merlin answered. "They'll be home by Friday at the latest."
"I've missed them, it will be good to have them back home." Harry smiled.
"I'm sorry Dani missed it." She pouted up at her great-grandfather.
"She'll be able to watch everything on the DVD that I'm making for her." Binky winked at her.
"They all can." Bastion was walking on air, because the foaling had gone flawlessly. There were those tense moments when the two of them had been off the scales for a few minutes, but other than that it'd been fine. "We were gonna let them all gather and watch, but when Moon and Night started acting up we decided against it."
"That's what DVR's are for. It allows us to capture events like this for the family archives to be shared with generations to come." Binky was also doing a story for The Quibbler and was taking down notes and details with her Auto Quill.
"Ron said that Bianca was here in the barn." Sean had come to Sanctuary in search of Binky, because she'd forgotten that they had a date. "So, that's what all the excitement is about. Night and Moon had their foals."
"Sean ya just missed seeing Moon have her foals. It was a wickedly cosmic experience." Bastion grinned at his best mate.
"Aye, I can see that and I'd have been her sooner if Bianca had clued me in that our date tonight had turned into Foal Watch 2010." Sean was not pleased with Binky for not calling him.
"Moria rang me with the news and our date slipped my mind." Bianca didn't so much as pause from her task to even glance over at him. "I'm sorry Sean, but this trumps dinner and a movie."
"What's with the reporter kit?" Sean spied her nearly finished piece for The Quibbler and picked it up to read.
"I'm covering this for Fred and George, who are on their own pins and needles with a baby watch of their own." Bianca nicked it out of his hands.
"They'll be over the moon…" Sean rolled his eyes.
"Sean, you're more than welcome to stay for dinner, but only if you don't start a row." Harry narrowed his eyes at him. "There's been far too much rowing here at Sanctuary for one night. Binky is doing me a huge favor by filming the foaling for the little ones. Particularly Dani and DJ who aren't feeling that hot tonight, and if she chooses to take up my big brothers offer to join The Quibbler then that's her choice and you should honor it. You have your choices and she has hers. It's just that simple."
"Yeah, Harry…I know. You're right." Sean felt stupid that he was irked about the article and shrugged. "I would just like to be kept in the loop…I mean is that askin too much?"
"Buddy a foal waits for no one and she didn't have time to touch back with you about her change of plans." Bastion, even though focused on the unicorns and their twins still managed to sound off his take on the situation.
"You didn't get nearly boiled in oil by Max ten minutes ago. Her dad's not my greatest fan these days ya know." Sean sulked. "He all but accused me of stalking Bianca! Didn't believe a word I said about our havin plans, accused me of crowdin' her not respectin' her space of all things!"
"Daddy's all bark and no bite." Bianca rolled her eyes at him.
"He used Levicorpus on me during our chat and had his wand pointed at me the whole time." Sean grumbled.
"Uncle Max is a grandstander and enjoys the hell out of intimidating potential suitors who think they have what it takes to date any of his daughters." Harry felt for the boy, but his daughter needed him. "Dani's my priority at the moment. Let me just say that whoever the brave souls are that try to woo any of my girls, years and I stress years from now. I won't be on my best behavior around them either." Harry left them to ponder that and vanished.
"DJ, Nate, and Matt are doomed." Bastion and Sean looked at each other.
"That lad's is an understatement if ever I heard one." Merlin smirked.
--
Three days later at Dragon Manor.
"Draco it's been three days, you have to talk to me sometime." Ginny found him getting most his clothes out of his walk-in-closet and stowing them away in three large trunks. "Are you going off on a long mission?"
"Not exactly," Draco's tone was cold as glacial ice towards her.
"Then where are you taking three-quarters of your things?" Ginny felt as if they were drifting further and further apart.
"It's quite simple really. I'm moving out of our master suite and moving to the guest suite on the other side of DJ's room." Draco didn't even look at her.
"Draco you can't just shut me out like this…"
It was then and only then that Draco turned around to glare at her. His gray eyes narrowed darkening to a stormy pewter gray. "Oh can't I? You chose to shut me out of the knowledge that I was going to be a father again! The very fact that you decided to risk the lives of our unborn miracles on a fucking game of Quidditch makes my blood boil! You took it on yourself to take the antidote after we decided to wait until August to create the girls! Yes, Ginevra Molly Elizabeth, I believe I can and will until I can look at you without wanting to throttle you!!" Draco was barely able to contain his fury towards her.
"I trusted you!! You're the one that chucked that trust out the window!! And for what a fucking trophy and your chance at wizarding glory?! Dani could have been severely hurt because of what you put our son through!! Like Harry was after sixth year!! Not that you give a damn either way!! Who the hell are you, because you sure as hell aren't my wife?!" He slammed the trunks closed just by glaring at them. "I'll take care of DJ and make sure that you and our daughters are safe and healthy, but it ends there! I'm tempted to set you up at your mothers!! Let her and your father watch over you for a while!!"
"Draco, I made a mistake and I'm sorry beyond words about it, but it's not anything that can't be mended." She placed her hand on his forearm and he flinched as if her very touch repulsed him.
"Change of plans. I'm bunking at Sanctuary. I'll have your mother come here to watch over you." He focused on the three trunks and they vanished.
"YOU'RE LEAVING ME?!" She burst into tears. "WHAT ABOUT DJ?! HOW CAN YOU DO THAT TO HIM!?"
Draco ignored her caterwauling and took out his phone to call Molly. "It's Draco…Yes, I've made my decision…I'll need you to come look after Ginevra. DJ and I will be fine over at Sanctuary. Oh, he'll have no problem with it. He's not speaking to her either…Look! I need time and space. I can't get it here and neither can DJ! Hey, I didn't do anything! She seems to think her plan was warranted. I'm of another mind about things and this isn't something that's easily mended. She blew my trust out of the water and if DJ hadn't spoken up her lie would have costed us our daughter's lives! I can't just let this go…not this. I need time or we aren't gonna be together anymore. Good. I'm glad you and I understand each other…I'll see you in ten minutes." He ended the call.
"I'D NEVER HURT DJ!" Ginny couldn't believe his lack of trust in her.
"So it's just our unborn daughters that are fair game and worth risking? Sorry, I'm not about to take the chance. DJ's furious with you therefore he's coming with me. I didn't say that you couldn't see him, but only under supervised visits." Draco glared down at her. "DJ and I need a time-out from you, while you sort out your priorities. Any love that I have for you is leaning towards borderline hate right now. In fact the only thing that I love about you right now is our unborn miracles growing within you. Miracles that you obviously take for granted and therefore you need constant care which is where your mother comes into play…"
"I'M NOT MENTALLY OFF, DRACO!!"
"Oh really, then prove it! Because right now in everyone's eyes you've gone around the bend!" Draco wrenched his arm free. "You're a danger to you, our son, and our daughters. If I wished it I could easily have you locked in the ward at St. Mungo's and put under observation. Be lucky that I chose your mother instead!"
"DRACO…!" Ginny fell to her knees in tears. "YOU CAN'T MEAN ALL THAT! YOU AND I ARE FOREVER!"
"THAT WAS WHEN WE WERE EQUAL PARTNERS, BUT YOUR SELF-ISHNESS DESTROYED ALL OF THAT! I LOVE THE GINNY THAT PUT THE LIVES OF HER FAMILY ABOVE EVERYTHING ELSE. SHE GAVE A DAMN WHAT I THOUGHT AND NEVER THOUGHT TO LIE OR HIDE ANYTHING LIKE THIS FROM ME! THAT'S WHO I MARRIED! THAT'S WHO I LOVE AND IT SURE AS HELL ISN'T YOU RIGHT NOW! I DON'T KNOW WHERE SHE WENT OR WHY, BUT FIND HER INSIDE YOU AGAIN OR THIS PARTNERSHIP IS FINISHED!!" Draco roared down at her.
"Draco! I haven't changed like you claim!" She was beyond hysterical now, because his words were ripping her to shreds inside, and his eyes no longer held any sign of love for her. They were shining with fury, hurt, and disappointment. But the love that was always there no matter how enraged he was with her was gone or so locked up away inside him that it terrified her that she'd lost him and nothing could mend the void between them. "I love you, our son, and girls…"
"I don't believe you or anything you say anymore."
Ginny's stomach rolled violently. She stumbled to her feet and into the master bath and got sick in the loo.
"It was never this bad with DJ…I'm sorry that I wasn't honest with your Daddy!" She retched. "I know that I AK'd my life! Lost everything! The respect, trust, and love of the one person that means more than the air I breathe!" The nausea was only getting worse. "No one is talking to me! My son hates me! Grams put me on immediate maternity leave, so I've lost that as well! I don't care if I ever play Chaser again! It's not worth my son's love and trust. The lives of my girls and it costed me my marriage. The love of my life, my other half, can't even look at me. Let alone stand for me to touch him." She got sick again, but instead of worshipping the loo alone in misery Draco was now sitting beside her with a goblet of water and a cool cloth that he was bathing her face with.
"Wolves mate for life." He reminded her in not a cool icy unfeeling tone, but in a loving, gentle, soothing, concerned one. "We're forever you and I." He continued to bathe her face with the cool cloth. "Now try to drink some water." He held the goblet of water to her lips.
"You still love me?" Ginny whimpered.
"Yes, you little idiot, I love you. But you hurt me and I lash out at anyone who betrays me like that. Putting your wants ahead of what's most important, like our girls, reminds me of my biological mother's attitude towards life. The things that her and my biological father wanted always took precedence over my needs for a hug, to be soothed when a nightmare kept me awake at night, or just any show of love would have been nice. No instead they spoiled me until it didn't matter anymore." Draco rarely talked about his childhood, but things needed to be said. Getting her to see his side of things mattered more to him than he'd ever realized.
"I'm the opposite side of the coin. I was raised with all the love and guidance that any parents could give." Ginny sniffled miserably, as he pulled her into his arms. "I never had a selfish bone in my body, until the whole Chamber of Secrets debacle. I guess it triggered that side of my character. I suppose my darker side has never really gone quite dormant since then…" She felt safe in his arms, "I really hadn't realized that until now. The Cup was a goal of mine…I'd gotten sick for the twelfth time in three months, so I took a test and the potion turned pink. The thing was that I wasn't happy, just peeved that …" She held her hand to her middle and burst into tears. "My girls were going to ruin my hard earned spot on the team…" She sobbed miserably. "I'd already broken your trust by taking the antidote just after St. Patrick's Day, so what harm would another lie do…" She buried her face against his shoulder. "I'm a horrible selfish person! How could I think that!? How much of my life has been achieved because of that side of me!?"
"Shhh…its okay Peaches…You are not a horrible person. Everyone has a darker side if you will, a little devil whispering in your ear just like the toons on the Telly sometimes are prone to portray. There's the angelic version of you on one shoulder and then the devilish looking you on your other."
"That's the thing mine isn't me…It's a voice more like echo in my head or at times a whisper, but it isn't mine." She sniffled miserably.
"You mean like the one in Tom Riddles diary?" Draco asked softly as he tried his best to piece together what she was trying to tell him.
"I never really thought about it, but yes the voice is similar to his! Is it possible that I've had a shadow of him still in my head?!" She clung to him in terror.
"I suppose that it's possible but…"
"Oh god!" She got sick again.
"A shadow is all that it is." Draco took out his phone again and this time actually hit speed dial for his in-laws number. "Mum? Yes, hi it's Draco. Feel free to keep DJ for the weekend. Ginny upset? Well, you see the girls are saying hello to her by making her miserable. Yes, extreme morning sickness. So you got them? Good. I was in a temper when I sent them to you and was afraid that they got sent to Ron's or something. I'm always happy to give clothing for a worthy cause. I'll just update my wardrobe after our baby appointment with Lucy this afternoon. Yeah, Franc will be beyond pleased. Yes, I know all marriages go through a rough patch or two…I agree some alone time is needed. Enjoy your weekend spoiling the grandbabies…no news on Trista or Katie yet? Yes, I'm still staying on my wager that they're both carrying twins, all four are boys, and will be born between August second and third. I'll tell her. Bye."
"So those trunks?"
"We're for the thrift shop." He gathered her into his arms and carried her back to bed.
"Then you're not leaving me here alone with Mum?" Ginny sniffled.
"Yes, I did feel like it, but no it was never gonna happen." Draco got her tucked back into bed.
"Then why put me through all of that?"
"Because brat. Turnabout is fair play and it was the only way to get you to finally own up with me about everything and with you. You've been acting as if you made a teeny-tiny mistake instead of a colossally major one. Shaking you up seemed the only way to get through to you." Draco called the morning sickness potion to his hand. "Now try to take some of this, while I go fix you some hot broth and some peppermint tea."
"Are you going to call Harry and Hermione?" Gin eagerly welcomed the cooling sensation of the potion as it soothed her tender tummy.
"Only if you wish me to and I was thinking of talking to Uncle Albus about this too." Draco paused in the doorway.
"Yes, please do. I want whatever this is out of my head." Ginny's spirits picked up when she turned to look at Draco's pillows and found two pastel colored plush bears sitting on them. One with the name Serena embroidered on it had silvery fur with peachy highlights streaked through it and gray eyes. While the other had peachy fur with silvery highlights and moss green eyes this one was named Sami.
"I was wondering when you were gonna see them." Draco chuckled when she took them both in her arms and cuddled them to her. "I would say the question about whether you're having our girls or not has been answered."
"When did they arrive?" She was beaming with happiness. "Mummy loves her little miracles very much." She patted her now visibly rounding middle. "I've been so focused on all the turmoil that I hadn't noticed that you've grown."
"To answer your first question they arrived in the morning post and I set them there on my pillows while you were still snoozing the morning away. Now as for your observation that our girls grew, well, I noticed that this morning. Which is why I made an appointment with Grams, but Lucy answered instead. We have a 2pm appointment with her at St. Mungo's. Now if you three ladies will excuse me I have to go fix you a nice light healthy meal." Draco walked back over to kiss her lovingly on the lips and placed a protective hand on her middle. "I love you." That said he vanished.
--
Sanctuary
"I'm thinking of taking the boys over to see Gin. It's been three days and I think that I've cooled off enough to go chat civilly with her now." Hermione had searched high and low all over the manor and finally found Harry in the inner sanctum.
What the teens dubbed as the 'Inner Sanctum' was very much their restricted section. It was a series of three rooms wizarding in origin that to the muggle eye would appear to be simply a type of home office.
However, to anyone of the Wizarding World it was James and Harry's own miniature Auror central, complete with a library filled with volumes on almost everything magic and anything dark magic. It had an area very much like a Potion's Masters Domain, where they could brew antidotes and what not if needed. Lastly there was a room with a table of the round in miniature with which to discuss the business at hand and on the walls were built in shelves with whatever they might need to complete various missions.
It was the one area on the first floor that was off-limits to the teens and the little ones of the house. A door sized portrait of Godric acted as the door. That when the password Ego Peto Solus Notitia Non Caligo was correctly given, slid to the side revealing a marble wall with the Pendragon royal crest inlayed into it in jewels. The person then had to tap the Pendragon family crest with their wand a certain way. Then say another password, Draíocht tá ár bronntanas that then caused the marble wall to transfigure itself into what looked to be a normal door. And then after saying the final password, Arian He And Bewarenian Se Manfordædla. Then and only then did the faux door fade away and let one enter the inner sanctum. (The first password is a series of Latin -I seek only knowledge not darkness- The second password is in Gaelic –Magic is our gift- Lastly the third password in old English–Honor it and guard against evildoers.)
"What has you in here researching dark magic?" Hermione took note that he was reading an ancient leather bound volume on The Art of creating a Soul Capturer.
"Draco called a little while ago about something and it requires that I do some serious dark magic research." Harry glanced up at her.
"That's Voldemort level magic, who does Draco know that got tangled up in something like that?" She saw other subjects that he had gotten out to read Possession by objects using Dark Magic, Purging Darkness from a possessed mind, and that was only some of what he had stacked around him. "Did someone come across one of Voldemort's old possessions again?"
"Actually, it's more like did all of Tom Riddle ever truly leave Ginny."
What?! Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Harry, please tell me that you're joshing with me about this. I mean that was eleven years ago…"
"I realize that Hermione, since I was the one that personally ended that part of his existence, but as much as I'd love to reassure you and say you've been Punk'd. I'm sorry I can't do that." Harry chose a heavy volume on The consequences of being possessed by Dark magic. "He's not nearly as horrid as he appeared to be back in the Chamber. Evidently, all he really is in a way is her selfish, greedy, who-the-hell-cares-about-what-anyone else-wants side of her persona."
Hermione continued to stare openmouthed at him in horror.
"Evidently, according to this she openly welcomed him into that side of her persona, and when the diary was destroyed hid him out of harms way inside her subconsciousness. Gods this is all blowing my mind. We're gonna need Uncle Albus." Harry called Ferria to him with his mind and she appeared on his shoulder. "I need some professional advice. This is way over my head or the shock of hearing it all has me in frickin fire-bad-tree-pretty mode." He wrote out a lengthy letter to his Uncle with a plea for help in finding a solution to this current headache facing them all. Sealing it away in an envelope depicting his HBP seal on the back of it, attached it to Ferria's leg and sent her off on her way.
"We have to help her, Harry. Remove him from her mind." Hermione sat down beside him and got to work reading Dark magic antidotes and Remedies.
"I know that Hermione, but all of this points to her having to want to willingly banish him from her mind." Harry sighed in frustration at one of the baby monitors sitting in front of him. "Dani's trying to escape again; at least the boys want to snooze the morning away."
"She's like you when it comes to being stuck in bed." Hermione leafed through her book. "Go cuddle Dani for a bit. I haven't had a challenge like this in nearly six years. You've been at this for at least an hour, so let me wrap my brain around it while you take a break amusing our daughter."
"Sure, sweetness, feel free to brainstorm the problem to your hearts content. This is gonna take a team effort to put right, because he's had eleven years to fortify himself firmly inside her mind." Harry left to see about Dani.
"There's more than one way to skin a boggart and that's what we're gonna do." Hermione got to work.
--
Dani glared down at her legs that were so weak they could barely hold her up. She stood in her walk-in-closet in search of something to wear, besides her summer baby-doll pajamas.
"It's been three days already. I have to be strong enough to at least go see Moon, Night, Dreamer, and Kismet. I couldn't even go to Nana Molly and Grandpa Arthur's with all the others." She growled in frustration, when she got dizzy, and had to sit down on the ultraplush carpet floor. "Cut it out will you body! Daph and her parents arrive this evening and you will not be bedridden when they do!" She blinked back hot angry tears that threatened to burst free in a flood at any second.
Missy padded into her closet and went over to cuddle in her lap.
"My magic is tapped out. I'm still weak as a kitten and I'm afraid that I won't be me again for a long, long time!" She burst into tears and buried her face against Missy's soft fur.
Harry's heart broke at the sight of his miserable little shadow cuddling her pup in complete and utter defeat. "The more you push yourself the longer it's gonna take you to get better again." He walked into the closet and scooped them both up into his arms.
"I'm gonna go crazy stuck up here in bed while everyone else gets to have fun without me!" She wailed in frustration.
"You've got everything at your fingertips including the Nintendo Strata and a stack of games, courtesy of your Uncle's, that no one in the world minus Japan has even gotten to see yet. Your Aunt Jo sent you her latest installments to her wizarding children's series on The adventures of Pendragon and The Journey's of Dobby the elf. That she's writing strictly for the children of the Wizarding World. Your Uncle Daniel sent you the first installment of The Young James Bond series that's not even yet released in the cinema. I could go on the list of your spoils from your Uncles, Aunts, Grandparents, and cousins are pages long." He tucked her and the pup back in bed.
"Daddy, I'm getting cabin fever cooped up in here." She pouted miserably up at him.
"I've got a better idea, big brother. Solve her need for fresh air by taking her down to see the foals. Clover and Sassy were born last night, maybe that'll cheer her up." Bastion stood in the doorway with a half-awake baby Rafe in his arms.
"We've got the boys covered." Bree yawned she had Jamie in her arms.
"Well, boys, bottles are gonna have to do. I saw Hermione go into the inner sanctum." Donavan appeared in front of them with two bottles in his hands.
"What's up big brother?" Bastion took a bottle from Donavan.
"Daddy! You can't leave me! I'm miserable!" Dani was bawling even harder now and Missy joined in with mournful howls of her own.
"I thought that you were on family leave." Bree took a bottle from Donavan when Jamie started to react to his big sister's mood by fussing.
Jamie was starving, so he focused on his meal instead.
"Would you two cool it with the questions! Little Bit is upset enough as it is and it's setting off the boys." Donavan hissed at Bree and Bastion.
"It's all right Donnie. All of you can relax. I'm not going on a mission. I'm not leaving Dani or the boys anytime soon. Mione and I are researching something for a close friend of ours." Harry chose his words carefully as not to alert curious minds.
"Aunt Gin's possessed again isn't she?" Dani's tears ebbed to the occasional teardrop, her eyes became a darker emerald green, and her voice was that of someone deadly serious. It was that clear in her mind.
"Dani, I know that you're cheesed off with Gin, but that was low." Bastion was so shocked by her zinger that he nearly dropped the bottle that he was feeding Rafe.
"Dani, it's not nice to say things like that." Bree shivered.
"I don't know guys. Harry's not denying it." Donavan was eyeing Harry very carefully trying to pick up a clue about what was up.
:Very intuitive of you little shadow, but no Aunt Gin's hasn't been possessed again. It's more like a sliver of him never truly got vanquished from her mind.: Harry used his link with his daughter to answer her question.
:Fine Daddy, maybe I'll forgive her, but please fix her so this doesn't happen again.: Dani resigned herself to accept his explanation. "Sorry my bad… I'm still half out of it."
"You can relax. Gin has not been possessed by another dark object." He told the teens. "Now if the three of you will please keep an eye on the boys. I'll take Dani for a peak at the little ones." He scooped her and the pup back up into his arms and beat a hasty retreat.
"Did you believe a word?" Bree frowned.
"Nope," Bastion growled.
"Gin's still got a piece of Tom Riddle in her head, but he promised Draco that he'd keep it hush-hush." Donavan having gotten the information that he needed left them to head for the lift.
"Donnie? How do ya figure that?"
"I'm very good at Legilimens and he wasn't shielding his mind. You two watch the boys. I'm gonna help Hermione research how to get rid of the family pest." Donavan keyed in the code for the lift.
"You'll never learn until your rash actions come back to bite you in the bum." Bree headed back towards the nursery.
"How are you gonna get into the sanctum?" Bastion called after him as he stepped inside the lift.
"I have my ways." Donavan grinned as the lift doors closed.
"Nope. I didn't hear anything. He's on his own with this one." Bastion headed off after his sister.
--
James, Lilly, and the twins arrived home just as Donavan was exiting the lift.
"Welcome home. Harry's taken Dani for a peak at the foals." Donavan smiled at them.
"It's good to be home." Lily smiled.
"Hi Donnie," The twins raced into his arms for a hug.
"Hey midgets," Donavan squeezed them back. "There are four newborn unicorn foals in the new barn…" He laughed when the two of them vanished in his arms.
"So now that the twins are off to see the babies what's going on?" James arched a brow at him.
"Nothing that a good dose of mental pesticide won't cure, that's if an antidote like that actually existed." Donavan headed down the hallway stopping at Godric's portrait.
James dropped the luggage in the entryway and headed after him when he continued to go through all the motions to enter the 'Inner Sanctum'. "Donavan Ryan get back here that's off-limits!"
"Something's not right James."
"Damn straight something's not right. How the hell did he know how to get into our lair?! Hermione must be inside researching something, but that's off-limits and he knows it!" James wasn't happy with Donavan, but then again he didn't know if he wanted to know what had even Hermione in brainstorm mode.
"OUT!!" Hermione escorted Donnie out of the lair by wand point. "These rooms are off-limits to the younger set and that includes you, Bastion, and Bree!" She gave him a hotfoot.
"But I just wanna help! I care about Gin too! She's like a big sister to me!" Donavan glared at her, as he hopped up and down on one foot.
"Look Donavan Ryan! What's in that room is nothing for any of you to mess with let alone read! It's rude to eavesdrop on a father and daughter chat! It's bad form to sneak into someone's mind when they've got their guard down and pluck out what's off-limits to you!" She hit him in the arse with Stupefy and he yelped in pain. "Whatever is wrong with Gin will be fixed by trained wizards and witches that I promise you! Now since you're in the mood for challenges you can make yourself useful and figure out a way to amuse Dani for the rest of the day!"
"I'd rather risk giving Fluffy a bath. She's beyond moody and her magic is beginning to return." Donavan grumbled.
"Well there you go then! Fluffy, Lady, Rad, their pups, Crooks, and Pepper can all use a good wash before the Cooper's arrive this evening." Hermione took him at his word.
"You heard her Donavan Ryan that should keep you busy most of the day. Then you and I are gonna have a chat, where I will then remove any knowledge that you have about entering the Inner Sanctum from your mind." James was beyond furious with him.
"When you've done with that the lawn needs tending as well." Hermione narrowed her eyes at him.
"Aah man…" Donavan groaned.
"Next time think before plucking top secret passwords and private conversations from other people's troubled minds and stay out of rooms where you don't belong." Hermione pointed her wand at him. "Off with you and I'll send Bastion out after a bit."
"I'm going! Blimey…I didn't mean anything by it…its just natural as breathing to me…" He vanished.
--
"Mum...Dad. Thank the goddess you're both back. We've got a problem on our hands and no idea how to solve it." Hermione was worried sick about Gin and beyond relieved to see them home.
"Okay kitten, slow down whatever the problem is can be set right." James followed her into the inner sanctum.
"What does this mental pest problem have to do with Ginny?" Lily was on his heels.
"Ginny was possessed by a shadow of Tom Riddle's seventeen-year-old self during her first year at Hogwarts. Lucius Malfoy slipped the diary of Tom Riddle into Ginny's cauldron while we were all shopping at Flourish & Blotts." Hermione paced in front of them.
"Yes kitten, we're well aware of the whole Chamber of Secrets debacle. Now what does this have to do with Gin?" James walked over to the round table, as ancient as the table of round in the main council chambers at the Ministry, and took in what they'd been researching. "Uncle Albus would have made certain that any part of Tom Riddle was banished from her mind."
"All signs pointed to Harry having completely vanquished that part of him, so no one really was the wiser."
"Unless the one who was the victim, in this case Ginny, chose to hide a sliver of him deep in her subconscious. In doing so she would have shielded that from being destroyed." Lily was beginning to fully understand the problem and the headache that it was going to take to correct it.
"Why would Ginny wish to have anything like him remain in her head? It just doesn't make sense to me." James himself was dumbfounded that Ginny had even thought of making such a rash decision. "What could he have possibly bestowed on her that would be worth risking that?"
"Ginny was a shy little girl until she came under Tom Riddle's influence through the diary. Then she was the complete opposite going after and usually getting whoever or whatever she pleased. Excluding Harry, he was immune to her charms, but none of the other boys seemed to be. She wouldn't take any rubbish from any of her brothers and went toe-to-toe with them without even thinking twice about it. That kind of power is difficult for someone to just give up nor would someone that had been shy like that wish to." Hermione sat back down to work on the problem.
"For fear that they'd turn into that shy little mouse again." Lily now had a clear idea what was what and sat down beside Hermione to help solve it.
"The more she uses that side of her, the stronger his influence will be over her mind." James frowned. "Eleven years is a hell of a lot of time for him to firmly entrench himself in her mind."
"Hence Donavan's idea for a mental pesticide," Lily nodded. "James would you be a love and go fix us some lunch. Hermione and I have things covered in here and Lori and I are getting hungry."
"We're naming her Lilly and yes I'll fix lunch." James kissed her and Hermione on the top of the head.
"Allura," Lily wrinkled her nose at him. "Lori for short, not Lilly."
"Lilly with two l's or Lillian Allura Rosalyn is fine to." James left them to their work.
--
"Mum you know you can't win. Dad is determined to name her at least somewhat after you." Hermione looked up from what she was reading.
"I just don't like giving an innocent child a name that will confuse her, because he's sure as Mab not going to call her junior." Lily growled. "It's not like Lily can be broken down into two names like James can to Jamie. Where as Allura can become Lori or even Ally. That is far easier on a child than trying to figure out if the person is talking to or calling her or her mother. My mother's name before she changed it was Lily Violet Rosalyn. I can't tell you how confusing it was for me, until everyone got a clue, and started to only call mother Violet instead. Now after that I was very happy, yes very happy indeed." Lily explained why she felt so strongly about naming her children to Hermione.
"Well, look on the bright side. You can always call her by her middle name and she can use it just like Rory uses her own."
"True and James does seem set on naming her Lilly, but then again that's months from now and who knows I might wear him down by then." Lily decided that a change of subject was in order. "So how's our Dani?"
"She's miserable, still weak as a kitten, tapped out magic wise, and driving us crazy trying to keep her in bed." Hermione sighed in frustration.
"Like father like daughter."
"Yes, I know and not even the spoils rained down on her from everyone are enough to keep her where she needs to be and that's resting in bed."
"You've had your hands full while we've been away, but we're here now and it's all going to be okay." Lily closed the book she was reading and Hermione's as well. "What you need is a good cry."
"Mum I can breakdown later…this is more…" Hermione found to her frustration that she was nearly in tears. "Important than my needs..."
Lily got up from the table and held out her hand to her. "Your needs are just as important if not more so. Now let's go over to the couch in the corner and you can have a good long cry in my arms."
"Crying is a useless waste of energy."
"Crying cleanses ones soul." Lily led her over to the couch and got them both settled on it.
"It's just been one thing after another…" Hermione let down all of her defenses and laid her head down on Lily's lap.
"I know baby." Lily soothingly stroked her head. "You should have sent for us sooner."
"I didn't want to spoil your holiday…" She finally let herself have a good sob.
"It was a working holiday for the men. Holding the World Cup on the Isle was brilliance or so they thought, but then the Isle is a mecca for muggle tourist. It was quite a headache for them to solve."
"So, there wasn't a real outbreak of some unknown disease on the Isle?" Hermione sniffled miserably.
"No, but it was a clever way to scare off the muggle tourists until after the Cup is over. The PM has banned all travel to the Isle until further notice."
"Nice plan mum." Hermione would have laughed, but the tears were flowing endlessly now.
"Yes, I am rather proud of it myself. Anyway, while they oversaw the building of the stadium the rest of us enjoyed the peace and quiet as well as the beach. Mayor Baggins wishes for the Isle to be Unplottable again and for Wizarding citizens only. The islanders are in total agreement as well." Lily continued to chat in soft soothing tones.
"And I thought our lives were a mess. Grandfather and the council must be pulling their hair out about that request."
"Not really no, since the Isle is hard to plot as it is and not even the Muggle satellite technology can truly find it in the same place at the same time. The Isle moves and always has with every lunar cycle. Now stop holding back what you need to get out and talk to me."
"Mum...Dani could have been badly hurt…" Hermione sobbed. "She was bleeding and it wouldn't stop…nothing I tried could stop it…" She covered her face with her hands and continued to cry her heart out. "I was so scared…"
"Oh baby, I know you were scared and so was Harry, but she's going to be herself again it just takes time." Lily crooned as she rocked her in her arms.
--
"Dad did you order Donnie to give the pets a bath?" Harry having tucked Dani back into bed and checked on the boys, who were also snoozing, went in search of his father.
"No that was all Hermione and that's just the start of his misery. He has to mow the lawn next." James was making homemade chicken noodle soup for lunch and was stirring it on the stove. "But then that's the least of his problems, he still has to chat with me tonight about abusing his natural talent for reading minds."
"Goddamn it! Donnie went and waltzed through my mind a while ago didn't he?!" Harry glared out the kitchen windows at the teen in question who with Bastion, Bree, MJ, and Izzy were having a time of it trying to wash Fluffy.
"Son, you're stressed it happens." James took the fresh loaves of French bread out of the oven.
"What'd he do cheese off Hermione by getting the instructions on how to enter our lair?"
James nodded.
Harry swore fluently in parseltounge for several minutes.
"And listened to your chat with Dani."
"Son of a fucking bitch!" Harry felt like frying his ass.
He was worried about Gin and wanted to help…No that's no excuse for breaking a slew of cardinal rules! Harry snarled to himself.
"His days of freedom are numbered!" He stalked out the backdoor of the kitchen and stood on the deck. "Donavan! After the lawn is done, the gardens need de-gnomeing and weeding! The cars could also use a good wash! Oh and your grounded until I say other wise!"
"I told you that he'd be off the charts!" Bree punched Donavan in the stomach.
"Off the charts? He looks ready to AK his sorry hide." Bastion gulped.
"So, the two of you were in on it too were you!?" Harry's ultrasensitive hearing easily picked up every word.
"No!! We were tending to the boys! That was all Donavan! We swear it!" Bree and Bastion cried in unison.
"I only wanted to help! I didn't mean any harm by it!" Donavan pleaded his case.
"Big brother is really mad at you." Izzy frowned.
"Boy are you gonna get it." MJ was glad that it was Donavan and not him that was about to face his big brother's wrath.
"GOOD INTENTIONS OR NOT! NO ONE! ESPECIALLY, A HOT SHOT TEENAGE PISS ANTE! HAS THE RIGHT TO EVER TAKE A STROLL THROUGH MY BRAIN OR USE THEIR GIFT TO GET TOP SECRET INFORMATION ON HOW TO ENTER THE INNER SANCTUM!!" His roar echoed for miles.
"You do it all the time." Donavan muttered under his breath.
Harry was in his face in less than a second. "LISTEN, YOU SMART ASS CHEEKY LITTLE PISS ANTE! I ONLY LOOK WHEN A SITUATION CALLS FOR IT! I DO NOT ABUSE MY POWER, BECAUSE WHEN YOU ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN THEN POWER CORRUPTS YOU A LITTLE EACH TIME AND IT LEADS ONE TO THE DARK SIDE OF THE COIN!"
Thunder boomed around them and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.
"I'M GONNA RIP THAT INFORMATION THAT YOU STOLE FROM MY HEAD OUT OF YOUR HEAD AND BELIEVE ME IT AIN'T GONNA BE A PLEASANT EXPERIENCE! BUT YOU NEED TO LEARN TO RESPECT THE CHAIN OF AUTHORITY AND YOUR ELDERS!" Harry, his eyes blazing emerald green with leashed fury and immense power, focused on using Obliviate the hard way.
Donavan fell to his knees, grabbing his head in agonizing pain. "OKAY! I GET IT! I ABUSED MY GIFT! I'LL NEVER DO IT AGAIN! NOW PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!"
He felt as if someone was stabbing at his head with a white-hot blade, then it was over as quickly as it had begun, and the pain dulled to nothing more than a nasty headache. "I'm sorry…" He panted out in pain. "It's just that we're not little kids anymore and are more than capable of helping all of you." Donavan looked up and found himself staring up into Harry's eyes.
"You'll only earn that privilege when we know that we can trust you with something as big as the key to the Inner Sanctum. Rash actions like yours don't win you the key or earn our trust." Harry his temper now completely spent stared down at Donavan with extreme disappointment. "Draco told me to keep it a secret that's why I didn't confide in the three of you. I unlike you respect the wishes of others and honored his request."
"Yeah, I know and I'm sorry…"
"Sorry, doesn't wash with me Donavan, but actions do. Think carefully about how you choose to use your gift before trying a stunt like that again…better yet if you ever pull that with me again then AK'd you will be and wake up in St. Mungo's or in bed." Harry pulled him up to his feet.
"Lunch will be ready in ten minutes. It'll take you that long to dry off Fluffy. He only gets wet when he wishes to and only cleaned using Scourgify never with plain old soap and water. Lady, Rad, their pups, Crooks, and Pepper yes, but Fluffy no." He headed back towards the manor.
"You're lucky he's one of the good guys." Bastion was using his wand to dry off Fluffy.
"So Donnie, still think you're so clever?" Bree was doing the same.
"Stupid yes, clever not really no…" Donavan groaned. "By the Gods that felt excruciatingly bad."
"Well you asked for it." MJ smirked the twins had conjured him and Izzy a small pool with which to wash the puppies in.
"Looking without asking is naughty, so he punished you." Izzy thought he deserved what had been dished out to him.
"Yeah, I'll say he did in spades." Bastion smirked as the three of them set about cleaning Fluffy the proper way.
--
Chapter 11
Cause and effect
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I do not claim any of JKR's characters only that I love being able to create my own kind of mischief with her beloved characters. I do not claim any other things that are owned by other companies that I may mention once and a while in the stories...Although the original characters and ideas are mine and I loved creating them. So please review if you wish but try not to flame me too badly.
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Cindra 2004-2008