Happy Holidays everyone! This is a shorter chapter but it certainly isn't short on drama!!! So we pick up from here!
To everyone, Merry Christmas and we'll update next week!
Marina & James
The next day was filled with lots excitement for the Malfoy family. Yuri, as Ginny had predicted, was up at the crack of dawn to wake them up. The family had showered, gotten dressed, eaten, and then sat around discussing the day until Charlie and Cho arrived to take them to see the dragons. Needless to say, it was quite the experience for all parties involved. Once they were at the Dragon Research and Care Center, Yuri proceeded to drag Draco and Ginny along on an impromptu tour of the facility, accompanied by Charlie and Cho who gave the newlyweds some interesting facts about each area as they went.
When it was time to meet a few of the Dragons, Draco was shocked, to the least. He remembered how big the Horntail had been in fourth year when Harry was forced to face it in the first task. Now, it was almost twice as big as it was then, and twice as mean. It watched them with cautious eyes, ready to strike should anyone attempt to get near its eggs without Charlie or Cho present. He, of course, wasn't the only dragon they met. They were introduced to a pair of Chinese Fireballs, a Romanian Ridgeback who was identified as Hagrid's Norbert from Draco's first year, and a Welsh Green. As they were preparing to go see an Albanian Astroflier when a research assistant came running up to say that the baby was starting to stir. At this news, Cho and Charlie led the Malfoys to the enclosure to watch the hatching. Charlie and four other handlers went into the enclosure to make sure the parents to be behaved themselves, while Cho and another infant specialist started to watch the egg and took random notes about the progress of the birth.
An hour after it all started, the baby finally was free of its shell, and flopping around as it tried to walk. The mother and father sniffed it a bit, and cleaned it up, before allowing Cho to take the baby to make sure it was healthy. On her way out of the enclosure, she stopped to let Draco, Ginny, and Yuri get a look at the baby up close. As ugly as dragons were, the baby was actually quite precious. Cho had told them was indeed a male and the entire family seemed enamored with him… until it hiccupped and spat out a tiny flame that singed Draco's bangs. While he frantically tried to put out his hair, everyone else laughed. An hour later the baby was reunited with its parents after getting a clean bill of health from the medical staff. Draco and Ginny decided it was getting late and time to head home. After saying their goodbyes, and promising to have Charlie and Cho over for dinner again sometime before they left for England, the family departed to spend the rest of their day together.
The rest of the week seemed to fly by. Ginny—who had begun eating the mints Mindy gave her by the bale—was feeling much better. Relaxation was just what she needed, especially with Yuri waking them up so very early in the morning. After they went to see the dragons, the next morning he had awoken them at dawn to take a picnic breakfast by a small river he had found with Mindy. The day after had been rainy again, so they stayed inside and relaxed. Within that time, Yuri also began to show some signs of being a talented artist just like Draco; father and son spent much of the next few days engrossed in drawing and painting while Ginny got some time to read a book and relax.
Before they knew it, though, Sunday had rolled around. It was time to go home, already! Ginny's classes would start up again on Tuesday after a secondary orientation day took place for the new students. While she was looking forward to it, she was also dreading it at the same time. So much was happening right now with Yuri and Rabastan, not to mention she was already very far ahead in her studies. Still, she had to press on.
Looking up from her book, she saw Yuri bounding in, "Mum, can we go visit the river one more time please?" He begged, gripping onto her hands. "Dad said the portkey doesn't leave for another hour and I want to make a wish! Mum, please?" Ginny sighed and set aside her book, looking over at Draco, "What do you think, love? One more walk by the river?"
Draco chuckled at Yuri's excitement and looked over at Ginny. "I think it could do us some good. And it'll give me a chance to show Yuri again what I meant by obscuring shadows." He slowly rose to his feet, and held a hand out to help Ginny up. Looking over at Yuri he nodded to the boy. "Go get your outdoor robes on so we can leave." Yuri ran out of the room like a Dementor was after him. Draco chuckled again. "We need to cut back on his sugar intake. If he goes any faster, he won't need a broom to be quicker than the Snitch!"
Laughing, Ginny took Draco's hand and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I love him just the way he is, overly excited about life and love...someday you'll be cursing the day he ever grew up. Because believe me, teenagers can be a real hassle. Ask my mum, she'll tell you." Yuri was changed and pulling them along before either had a chance to do much commenting. Holding Yuri's hand while Draco took the other one, Ginny stepped out the front door into the hot, muggy air. It was going to be a scorching day, she couldn't wait to go back to her own apartment and take a long nap. Yuri broke away from them, running down toward the river, "Yuri!" Ginny called, "Stay out of the water and where I can see you!"
From the tree line on the other side of the small river, the little family was being watched. Rabastan Lestrange had been tracking them since their stupid house elf had banished him from their apartment complex. He would get that little bitch back, but first, he had other business to attend to. He watched as Ginny and Draco engaged in sickening displays of affection, and Yuri ran toward the water, closer to Rabastan. His lips twisted up in a grin as he felt the moment approaching. Removing his wand he cast a quick silencing spell on his feet so they wouldn't here him coming, and then disillusioned his body so they wouldn't see him until it was too late. He slowly started to creep forward, as soon as Draco and Ginny weren't looking, he'd spring into action and nab the boy.
Yuri ran further ahead, picking up rocks to throw in the water. He was fascinated by the splashes and ripples that different sized rocks made. On the other side of the river there was a particularly shiny onyx colored rock. With the stepping stones in the middle he easily hopped across the shallow little river. "Look, this one is really pretty!"
Rabastan smiled, now was the time. He was about fifteen meters from the boy, and as soon as the first spell was flung, it wouldn't matter that he was disillusioned. He dropped the concealing charm and pointed his wand at Yuri. Casting a silencing charm on Yuri, Rabastan spun to face Ginny and Draco. "Petrificus Totalus! Incarcerous!" The two spells rocketed toward the newly weds as Rabastan became ready to defend himself should they be quick enough to stop his spells.
"Yuri!" Ginny screamed, watching the scene as if in slow motion. Rabastan's black cloaked body came out of the trees, throwing hexes this way and that. She managed to avoid the petrificus spell but the incarcerous she couldn't fight. It knocked her to the ground, holding her hostage as she screamed his name, "Yuri! Run, Yuri, get away from him!" But it was no use, the little boy was so worried about his parents that he couldn't do anything but scream back for them. Tears leaked out of the corner of her eyes as nausea overwhelmed her again. Dear Merlin, he was taking her son, she wouldn't survive this...she couldn't.
Draco had seen the disillusionment drop and immediately went for his wand. Ginny avoided the Petrificus spell, but as Draco was behind her from Rabastan's view, he had gotten hit with it. Draco toppled to the side and could watch as his wife was bound with magical ropes and his son was silenced. He struggled with all his might to even move a finger, but it was useless. His forehead broke out in sweat as he fought against the spell. It was all for naught. Rabastan was one of the most powerful Death Eaters, and member of late Dark Lord's inner circle for a reason.
Rabastan stood up as he noticed the couple was down for the count. He laughed with great mirth and walked to Yuri. "Time to go home now. And don't bother trying to call the little elf. I silenced you, so you can't even scream in pain." His lips twisted in a maniacal grin. His wand pointed at Yuri's head and he blasted him with a petrificus spell, and then a mobilicorpus to levitate the boy for easier transportation. Rabastan smiled at Ginny and walked toward her. "Maybe I should take you with me this time...just to prove to my piece of shit nephew that he can't have nice things." The look in Rabastan's eyes would tell Ginny exactly what he was going to do to her if he took her. But he shook his head, "No, you're damaged goods after he's been with you. Dirty blood traitors and mudblood lovers." Rabastan reached down, grabbed Ginny by the front of her shirt and pulled her up. He pressed his dirty lips to her and then pushed her away. "Farewell, I'll be sure to take good care of Yuri for you. You should be proud; he'll become the next Dark Lord and stop the dilution of our blood." Rabastan placed a hand on Yuri, and with a crack the pair disappeared.
Tears leaked out of the sides of her eyes as she watched him treat her son with such brutality. Crying for him, she felt nausea overwhelm her, made worse by the taste of his dirty lips on hers. She vomited, able only to turn her head to the side as she retched, her entire body stung with pain and terror. She almost wished he had taken her too then she could at least look out for the boy she had come to love more than life itself. Several moments after she finished vomiting she screamed for Mindy; they had to get help! Someone had to help them...there had to be apparition logs especially so near to the Black Estate. Mindy was horrified as she broke the spells holder her masters, but not as horrified as Ginny. She sobbed, clinging to Draco as she did, "That bastard took him!" She rasped hoarsely, "Merlin what are we going to do? I can't let him hurt my son! I'll die...I'll die without him." And all at once, Ginevra Malfoy fainted dead away...
Draco held onto Ginny as she fainted. He knew it took a lot of power to apparate between countries, and only a few wizards could perform the feat. But house elves were different. As long as they apparated between their properties, they spent almost no energy. Draco looked at Mindy and nodded toward the estate. He carried Ginny inside with him and laid her gently down upon the couch in the sitting room. "Mindy I need you to do me a favor." Draco grabbed a piece of parchment and writing out a message. "You can get to England before we do. I need you to take this letter to the Ministry right away. Then as soon as that's done, go to Harry Potter and tell him what happened. This is his property so he'll want to know." The elf nodded, took the letter and disappeared with a near silent pop. Draco then sat down next to his wife and started to run a hand through her hair. He hoped she would be alright…he couldn't bear to lose her too.
Several minutes had passed and Ginny found the world blurring around the edges as it came back into focus. She wasn't near the river anymore; she was in the sitting room with Draco stroking her hair. Was Yuri getting taken some kind of horrible dream? Looking into Draco's face she knew it was true, Yuri was gone...off with Rabastan. Lying back down in his lap she choked back another sob, "This is my fault, it's all my fault." She cried, "I shouldn't have let go of his hand, I shouldn't have let him run ahead." Burying her face in her hands, she leaned against him, "What're we going to do?"
Draco shushed Ginny and shook his head. "It isn't your fault Ginny. He got the drop on us. Even if Yuri was still holding your hand he'd have been taken. You wouldn't have been able to move out of the way of the first curse, and it would have ended quicker. If anything...it's both our faults." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I sent Mindy off with a letter for the Ministry. She should be there now letting them know what happened. After that, she's going to see Harry to let him know. All we can do is wait and see. Harry can access the apparition logs, providing Rabastan was still on the property when he apparated. I find that hard to believe, because he wouldn't have been able to get on the property without Harry keying him into the wards first. But...we'll do all we can love."
"I just love him so much," She sniffled, holding onto him even tighter. "I couldn't bear it if something happened to him. Draco, I feel sick inside just knowing that Rabastan has him. He could be doing anything to our little boy right now. I just want to hold him in my arms and tell him a story and kiss him before bed." Dissolving into a fresh set of tears she buried her face in his chest. "Promise me you'll find him, promise me Draco!"
Draco's jaw set hard and he nodded his head. "I promise Ginny. I'll get Yuri back." He closed his eyes and swallowed past the lump in his throat. His hands ran lazy circles over her back, trying his best to soothe her. How could he have let his guard down like that? That was a first Year mistake. That wasn't something that a graduate of Hogwarts, who had been a prefect no less, would do. He felt ashamed. He had allowed himself to be lulled into a false sense of security, and they had all suffered for it. Draco's eyes opened, determination flowing through them. If he had to die to do it, he'd get Yuri back. And he'd kill Rabastan in the process if he could. That man would pay.
It had been two weeks, two long weeks since Yuri had gone missing in Romania. Draco was angry beyond belief. Harry had shown up as soon as he could make the needed apparition jumps to get there, and then a contingent from the Ministry had arrived. Of course, they had been headed off by the Romanian Ministry of Magic, and the two governing bodies had been fighting ever since on who should head the case. England felt they should do it since the Malfoys were English citizens, but Romania demanded that the crime had occurred on Romanian soil, and so they should handle it. Draco knew what it really was about. Each Ministry wanted to claim the credit when Yuri was returned. They wanted gloating and bragging rights. And if he didn't come back, they'd blame the opposing Ministry for getting in their way. It was bureaucratic bull and Draco wanted to curse someone. He didn't care which government led the investigation, as long as they found his son unharmed. And if they couldn't pull their heads out of their asses, Harry had promised to help Draco systematically make every one of them suffer for it.
As it was, Draco, along with many friends and family were at the flat he shared with Ginny. They had set this up as their own base of operations since the Ministries weren't doing anything constructive. He was currently sitting on the couch with Harry going over the apparition logs, trying to see if they had caught a slip of Rabastan's magic. If they were that lucky, they could maybe track where he'd jumped to. But so far, they hadn't been very fortunate. It was so frustrating, Draco was tempted to ask Charlie if they could throw Rabastan—and both the English and Romanian Ministers—into the Horntail's enclosure once they had caught the bastard and gotten Yuri back.
The pressure was mounting on Ginny all at once. Despite the protestations of Draco, her family, and her teachers, she had insisted on going to her class like normal. For those few hours a day she was able to disappear but Yuri never left her mind. She was distracted, tense, and horribly stressed. A summertime flu that should've come and gone by now was lingering, making her feel awful. It didn't help that Rabastan was still at large and the tangle of red tape was keeping anyone from doing anything about it!
Tonight she sat on the couch, her eyes red from the fresh tears she'd cried when she arrived home that afternoon. They'd been learning about common childhood illnesses and all she could wonder was if Yuri was sick or starving, was he too hot? Too cold? Was Rabastan hurting him? She'd nearly had a breakdown in the middle of class...luckily, she'd been saved by a kind teacher telling her definitively that she would NOT be attending class any more until Yuri was found and the problems in her life resolved. She was so far ahead as it was that she'd be fine. But Ginny didn't feel fine, she felt like even more of a failure than she ever had before. Wallowing in her illness and her hurt, she curled on the couch with a blanket wrapped around her; her eyes were watery and red from crying and her entire body seemed bloated, distended, despite her lack of eating. Merlin how she wished her son would come home soon.
Draco rubbed his eyes and stifled a yawn. He had been at this with Harry for so long, that he was starting to get blurred vision. This was the fourth time they'd gone over the logs, and no matter how many times they looked at it, proof of Rabastan's magic just wasn't there. He looked over at Harry, who was hunched over the papers trying to make out even the tiniest hint, and then over at Hermione who was passed out in a mass of books and parchment at the table. She'd fallen asleep trying to find something that would make the Ministries stop bickering and get to work. He patted Harry on the shoulder and shook his head. "I hate to say it. But it just isn't there. He was too far out of the wards to pick the residual." Draco shook his head and looked over at Ginny. "Let's take a break and try a new angle." He stood up and knelt by Ginny, running a hand through her hair. "Ginny love, are you okay? Why don't you go to bed? You don't need to be here while Harry and I go over this stuff."
Looking over at him as he gently ran his fingers through her hair, she expelled a heavy sigh. "I don't know what to do Draco. If I read, I think about reading Yuri stories… if I sleep, I dream of him. If I eat, I think 'would Yuri like this'?" Tearing up again, she wrapped her arms around her shoulders and closed her eyes tightly; trails of tears leaking down the sides of her face. "I don't know what to do with myself...I'm lost without him, Draco."
Draco nodded and leaned down to kiss her gently. "I know, love. It's hard. He's been with us since before we got married; our whole marriage is almost defined by him. It's hard to be without him, I feel it too. But you're worrying yourself sick, and sitting out here for one disappointing lead after another isn't going to help any love. Why don't you and Pansy go out together? Try and get your mind off it all for one night. It might help." He hated seeing her like this. She was practically withering away before his eyes. He just wanted to have this all be over with, so they could be a family again; one happy family that nothing could harm.
Nodding, she kissed him back ever so softly. Since Yuri was taken they'd been mostly living in a hazy state of stagnation. They didn't have sex, mostly because Ginny was feeling ill; not to mention he came to bed long after she went to sleep and before she even woke up in the morning. She was so exhausted that when sleep did finally overtake her, she was out cold for hours on end. It was almost as if Yuri had been the glue that held them together, "Pansy invited herself over tomorrow, we'll talk then. I just want to lie here...maybe if I wish hard enough and I lie still enough, I can picture Yuri playing with his toy wand over by the window."
Draco nodded and then kissed Ginny again. "You want me to get you anything? Pumpkin Juice? Water?" He'd move the sun with his bare hands if she said it would make her feel better. He was doubly lost in this case. He didn't know what to do to find Yuri. And without Yuri, he didn't know what to do to help his wife. It was so frustrating he wanted to rip his own hair out. "I can floo your mum. Maybe she can come over and you two can visit while Harry and I work on this some more. I'm sure she'd love nothing more than to come over and see her only daughter." In fact, Draco was a little surprised she hadn't been over everyday fretting about her daughter's well being, and the well being of her adopted grandson.
Looking up from her position, she shook her head, "Draco Malfoy if you even think about flooing my mum, I'll hex your bits off." Molly Weasley flooed every day now, sometimes more than once; she wanted to check in to see if Yuri had been found but, more importantly, how Ginny was doing. Ever since she found out Ginny had been under the weather she had been sending over mountains of food, mostly soup and things that would be easy to heat up because, 'You have a husband to feed now!' Molly would say. Poor Mindy was beside herself not being able to cook and had settled on whipping up fabulous desserts instead. But it all tasted like garbage to Ginny...she ate only when Draco forced her and very little at that. "I'd like some water if you don't mind," She said, maybe that would help dislodge the lump in her throat. "Thanks, love," She smiled weakly.
Draco sighed and nodded at Ginny's request. Personally, having Molly there to take care of Ginny so he could focus on finding Yuri and not worrying about his wife every ten minutes would be worth having his balls hexed off. Nothing mattered more to him than finding his son and making sure his wife was okay. Besides, if she hexed off his balls, then he wouldn't sleep with her anymore for fear of further bodily injury, and he didn't think she'd like that. He rubbed her side a bit and then kissed her forehead. "Okay love. One water, coming right up," He stood up and disappeared into the kitchen area for a minute before returning with a glass of fresh water. "Here you go Gin."
Sitting up slightly, she accepted the water and took a long sip. Sighing, she looked up at him, "Any luck yet? I heard Ron saying that they thought Rabastan was hiding out somewhere in Romania? Have you flooed Charlie? I'm sure the other dragon tamers would help...maybe even the Horntail would help. After all, don't they sometimes use dragons to hunt for missing people?" It was a long shot for sure, but she was so desperate to find her child. "Did I remember to tell you that Gregory is going to be stopping by with Pansy tomorrow? He's eager to help find Yuri as well..."
Draco sighed and shook his head. "Ron's got a hunch love, nothing concrete. We can't divert our attention to a specific area until we have proof he's there beyond a shadow of a doubt. Otherwise we risk not paying attention to other areas he could be and that might be just what Rabastan is waiting for. A hole to slip through so he can move Yuri to a new location. Then we'll be even further away than we are now." He ran a hand through his hair, it was so frustrating. He wanted to run off to Romania the moment Ron something, but Hermione's logic had won out like always. She was right, and now Draco had to voice her opinion for her to Ginny. "Good. We could use the extra eyes to go over reports and to check out leads." He didn't voice his relief that Pansy could maybe help bring Ginny out of her funk. That might start a fight, and he didn't think a fight was conducive to finding Yuri quickly.
Silently she listened but all she really heard was nonsense. Until someone looked her in the eyes and told her they'd found her son, it was all junk; in one ear and right out the other. Everyone's words of consolation were unwelcome, everyone's but Draco's. He was feeling this just as deeply as her, he loved Yuri like she did. But still, on some level, she didn't even know if he felt like she did. He never seemed to show it at all. Draco was always the strong one, always slightly distanced...some days she was grateful for it and other days it made her want to scream. Today she just felt nothing.
Draco sighed once more; he seemed to be doing that a lot lately. Once more he leaned in to kiss Ginny, this time on the lips. He tried put as much love and reassurance into the kiss as he could. When he broke it, Draco ran a hand through her hair and smile at her. "Don't worry Gin. We'll find him. And when we do, I'll make Rabastan pay for taking Yuri away from us. He'll wish he'd never met the boy after I'm done with him." A shadow passed over Draco's eyes as he imagined what he'd do to the former Death Eater. If he had his way, there'd be nothing left of the man for either Ministry to mop up and arrest. Draco snapped out of it and then stood, walking back to Harry, and the reports once more. He had to find his son, for Yuri's sake...and for Ginny's.
Kissing him back, she let her body meld against his for those brief moments of respite. She thought that maybe if they stopped playing this game and if they spent time talking about what it was that they were feeling, maybe she wouldn't feel as if she were useless in all of this. Being powerless was what really drained her; she needed Yuri back but she didn't know how to do that. Pulling away from him, she stood up, "I'm going to bed, love." Kissing him softly again she walked toward the bedroom, her arms wrapped around her body. He wouldn't be going to bed for hours yet, she knew that...he pushed himself to exhaustion and only then would he join her. It seemed that in addition to the loss of their son, they were slowly losing faith in themselves.